Queen of the Silver Jubilee
by Rurrlock-God of Power
Summary: 30 years have passed since Monkey D. Luffy and the Strawhat Pirates reached the ultimate treasure of One Piece. Though they have not be heard from, the age of Pirates is still going. A young and adventurous pirate, Aleyn Laura gathers herself a crew, acquires a ship, and sets out to find and defeat Luffy to become the strongest pirate in the world.
1. A New Age Begins!

**Queen of the Silver Jubilee**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing (unfortunately); all rights and characters in One Piece belong to Eiichiro Oda and other respective owners and creators. I gain no profit from this; it's purely for fun. I do own my OC's.

If you enjoyed this story and want to know more about my work, you can like the Rurrlock-God of Power Facebook page.

**Note: **This takes place 30 years after the Strawhat Pirates made it through the Grand Line and found the One Piece.

* * *

_**The New Age Arc**_

**Chapter 1: A New Age Begins!**

It was at that time of day when the scorching hot sun rose highest in the sky, signalling to the people of Kaishi Town that they had to gather all their wealth and valuables quickly. The small community had practically been stripped clean of dough this month, but that didn't stop each individual from trying to raise as much money as possible, and Kara Kyd was no exception. The only difference between her and the frantic people of the town was that Kara was 99% confident she was getting the money she needed today.

She wiped her brow with her sweaty hand, stained in dry paint. A beaming smile shone on her face as she practically jumped off her small bed and nearly banged her head against the ceiling of her bedroom. ''It's finally done!''

Wasting no time, she grabbed her finished portrait of the town harbour. It was beautifully painted, displaying the sea and dark, night sky with wonderful splendour, and ships as tall as mountains dotted around in multi-coloured sails. It may have taken her nearly all day to work on this masterpiece, but it'll all be worth it when she hands it in to get paid. Carefully, she manoeuvred out of her room and down the stairs, making sure not to stain the paint. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to wait for it to dry, so all she could do now was hope the quick-dry paint didn't smudge and get it to her buyer before it's too late.

Before she could hurry out of the door, she was stopped and nearly knocked off her feet as her mother came walking by. ''Whoa, careful there, kiddo.'' She exclaimed.

''I'm sorry, mother. But it's finally done. I have to get it to Mr Sukizo now! Before _they _arrive!'' She was about to rush past, but her mother placed a firm hand against her chest to halt her.

''Hold on, let me see it first.'' She pleaded and waited in anticipation, whilst Kara looked towards the ground shyly before begrudgingly handing the painting over to her mother. Kara waited for her verdict with folded arms and blushing cheeks. The older woman's face lit up and she shook her head in disbelief at the work of art in her arms. ''Wow! How long did it take you to make this?''

Kara shrugged her shoulders. ''Just a few hours…painting it, it actually took longer standing at the harbour to remember the view.''

''I'm jealous.'' Kara's mother grinned before turning towards the kitchen. ''Gareth! Come and look at what Kara drew this time.''

''Mother.'' Kara hissed through gritted teeth.

From the doorway that connected to the kitchen, Kara's father, Gareth, came strolling out on his makeshift wheelchair. He offered Kara a warm smile, which she gladly returned. ''What's up?'' He asked his wife.

''I think I have a new favourite.'' Kara's mother said and passed the painting towards Gareth, whose eyes widened as he inspected the painting. ''Hmm, judging by that look, I'd say you feel the same way.''

''Elizabeth, my dear, you are not wrong.''

Kara brushed aside the strand of hair that fell over her forehead and twiddled with it between her fingers. ''I don't think so.''

''No?'' Gareth inquired.

''I just did it because that's what Mr Sukizo said he'd pay for. It's just to raise the money we need for today.''

Her parent's faces turned grim at the mention of today. They looked at each other and then forced a smile when staring at their daughter once again, as if that would make things any easier. Elizabeth gave the painting back to Kara with shaky hands. The young woman took it and slowly walked passed them and out towards the front door. But before she could fully leave, she heard her father call out to her. ''It's a shame, because that is a really nice painting.''

The smile on Kara's lips was genuine. ''Thank you.'' She said before scurrying out of the house and towards Mr Sukizo's shop.

As she ran through the town, Kara could tell that everyone else was feeling just as nervous as she was. Uncertainty on whether they each had enough money for today. But Kara was sure, she was promised more than enough to cover for her parents and herself today once Mr Sukizo bought her painting. By the time she arrived at his shop, she was practically out of breath and her throat was nearly as dry as the paint on her artwork.

She walked in, greeted by the chime of a bell on top of the door. The place was beyond messy and unorganised, with stacks of items, papers and other little bits-and-bobs lying about all over the place. Even if things weren't chaotic today, this would still be the usual site for Kara whenever she came to this place, not that she liked coming here anyway. Mr Sukizo wasn't on her list of favourite people that she knew, but he was offering her money for her painting, so for today at least she could pretend they were friends.

_**BASH! **_''Ouch!'' Kara jumped at the sound of something hitting the underside of the front desk, before an startled, pasty-looking old man emerged while rubbing the top of his head with a pained expression across his face. He opened his eyes as the pain lifted slightly, and he froze on the spot when he noticed Kara standing at the door. ''Oh…Kara...hi, uh, what are you doing here?''

Still feeling rushed and out of breath, Kara paced herself towards the front desk and placed the painting on top of it. Sukizo looked at it, his mouth agape and eyes sparkling in astonishment, clearly delighted with what she had painted. ''I did it! Just like you said!''

''I only gave you this commission last night. Yet you managed to finish it before noon? You are a talent.''

''Thanks, so that's 500 beri! Right?'' Kara spat out excitedly.

Since the shopkeeper before her had given her the commission, Kara's heart had not stopped beating. From fluttering with inspiration as she watched the harbour and sea the night before, to trying to calm herself after sprinting from her house to here just now, her heart was a truly a well-oiled machine. However, when she saw a gulp go down Sukizo's throat and sweat drops appear across his face, her heart finally stopped and her blood turned cold.

''Well…you see…there's a bit of a problem,'' Sukizo stuttered. ''After you left my shop last night to go and paint your picture, a gentleman came in soon afterwards and offered me this fine looking antique lamp,'' He then reached beneath his desk and lifted it up to show off, but Kara couldn't care less as he continued. ''Apparently it was surviving wreckage from a Marine Ship that sunk during the One Piece War, so I bought it off him!''

''What does this have to do with my painting?'' Kara questioned as tears slowly began to coat her eyelids and her heartbeat once again gained pace.

Sukizo scratched the back of his neck nervously. ''The thing is…the money I used to pay for the lamp, was the last bit of spending money I could afford. The rest I need to pay for today. I'm sorry, but I can't pay you.''

Kara's whole body shook with fear, and a single tear crawled down her cheek as the reality of her situation finally dawned on her. ''But…my family doesn't have enough money for today. You promised!'' Her voice was hoarse and her fist tightened causing her knuckles to crack and sting.

''I'm sorry, that's all I can say! And to be honest, I thought you were just joking about being able to paint this in one day.''

A gasp escaped Kara's lips when she heard those words. ''A joke?'' She whispered in disbelief. Suddenly, the hurt and fear that was plastered on her face was instead replaced by anger and fury. The tears began to fall freely, and her breathing grew to uncontrollable levels. ''You think I'd joke about this!?''

Sukizo held out his hands in defence. ''Hold on, I didn't phrase that right…''

But by now, it was too late to calm her down. She slammed her hands against the desk, one hand thumping against her painting, bending it slightly. ''The last time my family couldn't afford to pay those damn pirates, my father ended up in a wheelchair! Do you really think that I would joke about this?'' She cried out and didn't even give Sukizo a time to response before grabbing her painting and sprinting out of the shop, leaving the shaken keeper alone to wallow in his guilt.

''I'm sorry,'' Sukizo said to no one in particular. ''But I don't want to be the next one in a wheelchair.''

* * *

Kara sat against a small picket face, her teary face buried against her knees. Her cries were muffled and broken, but no less painful. She knew there was no time to find any other buyers for her painting, and even if she did, they wouldn't be able to offer the amount of money that she needed. Everyone in this town was already at their limit. Some questioned whether this was all worth it, going through this terror every single month, including Kara. But she remembered the consequences of not paying the pirates, and what would happen if they didn't come.

Finally lifting her tear-stained face, she glanced over towards her painting, which was now bent out of shape and the paint somewhat smudged where she gripped it earlier. Seeing her last chance of earning enough money to keep her family safe for a little while longer ruined and useless, made her feel pathetic. Her body rocked back and forth, and her heart threatened to beat out of her chest. She even had trouble breathing at a steady pace now…things looked beyond bleak.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kara felt something soft land on top of her head. Hesitantly, she reached up and grabbed whatever it was and pulled it down, causing it to slip over her face. Kara reeled back from the sticky feeling of the banana skin and tossed it to the side. Just then, another peeled banana skin dropped to the ground next to her. She looked up over her shoulder and was taken back by what she saw.

On the other side of the picket fence stood a tall tree, and in that tree, lying lazily on one of the thick branches was a young woman, devouring another banana in one gulp. The woman didn't seem to have a care in the world as she relaxed under the cool shade of the leaves and branches above her. Soon enough, the woman shifted her body so that she could look down. Once she saw Kara looking up at her, she swallowed what was left of the food and waved. ''Hey there, sorry I didn't see you.''

Kara looked away nervously. Not the best strategy when confronting someone she'd never met before, but at this point in time, her emotions weren't in the right place. She hoped the woman would take the hint and leave, or ignore her all together. However, that wasn't going to happen, as Kara nearly leapt out of her skin when the woman jumped down from the tree and sat next to her.

The woman must have noticed Kara's tears, because her face turned serious for a second before becoming light-hearted and offering a warm smile. ''Hey, if you're having a rough day, nothing helps more than a bright red, juicy apple.'' She then reached in her pocket before pulling out exactly that, presenting it to Kara.

The artist was unsure of what to do. She had never seen this woman before. She'd never even seen the type of clothes this woman was wearing before. To Kara, this stranger was like someone from another world, and the pair couldn't look any different.

Whereas Kara's blond hair was short and neat, the stranger's was long, messy and dyed bright blue. The stranger's arms were quite muscular and strong, with biceps that deserved to be shown-off, while Kara was most often compared to with a twig by the townspeople. But the sense of fashion was really what stood out most. Kara was far more conservative, in a simple shirt and shorts, and the stranger was covered in all kind of gear. She wore a light blue top with a dark blue streak going diagonally along, and baggy beige trousers. On her belt was a compass, a telescope and a gun holster only without the gun and instead had a pear in its place. Lastly, what really caught Kara's eye were the two small scars on the woman's face; one over her right eyebrow, and the other over her top lip.

''You going to stare at me all day?'' The woman's voice brought Kara out of her thoughts and made her realise that she was indeed staring at the unfamiliar face. Trying to hide her blush, she took the apple and held it in her trembling hands. ''You're supposed to eat it, you know?''

''I know,'' Kara said weakly. ''I just don't feel like eating, but thank you.''

The woman nodded and began to clip-clop her sandals against the grassy ground. ''So what's the problem?''

Kara almost said something, but before she could get ahead of herself, she turned to the new face in confusion. ''Hold on, who are you?''

''Hmm, oh, the name's Laura. Yours?''

She hesitated before answering. ''Kara.''

''Nice to meet you, Kara!'' Laura greeted happily. ''So, you live in this town, or what?''

''Yeah…yeah, I live here.''

Laura immediately sat upwards so that she wasn't slouching anymore, and turned to fully face a bemused Kara. ''Good, then maybe you can tell me what's with everyone in this town. Every single person that I past came up to me and asked if I wanted to buy something, or if I had any spare change. What's the deal? Is this a charity town or something?''

Kara was a bit slow with realising the danger Laura was putting herself in by just being here, but when she finally did catch on, she pleaded. ''You can't be here! You need to leave this town now!''

''Huh, that's funny, that's the other thing a few people have said to me as well.'' Laura stated.

''I'm serious. Today is…'' Kara hesitated. ''Today, some _people _are going to be arriving in the harbour, and if they catch you here, you could be in very big trouble!''

''Why's that?''

''I can't say.'' The artist mumbled before turning away in shame.

''Why not?'' Laura waited for some kind of answer as she watched the shy girl with a perplexed expression. When the huddled-up woman was unresponsive, Laura shifted back into a serious manner. ''These people aren't threatening you, are they?''

The only audible sound around them was the gentle breeze of the sea air, passing through the trees. The hot sun was now hidden behind a few passing dark clouds. Kara suddenly felt very cold as she wrapped herself in her trembling arms before uttering with a low voice. ''Pirates…''

''Sorry, couldn't hear you.'' Laura said while leaning in closer.

''Today, we have to pay these pirates 1,000 beri for each family within Kaishi Town. Every month they come, take our money, and in return protect us from bandits, rouge pirates and the be…'' Kara froze, a sudden shock passing through her whole body, as if the mere mention of what was going on in her mind was numbing her very soul. ''It doesn't matter! What does matter is that you need to leave now. They don't like it when people from outside interfere.''

''Sounds to me like they're more bullies than protectors.''

''No, no, they do protect us…but…'' It hurt her to even think about offering any praise to them. The pirates that take their money every month, the pirates that drive the people towards insanity and put Kara's own father in a wheelchair. The tears threatened to fall freely again.

Noting her distress, Laura offered a sympathetic look. ''Is that the reason you're crying?''

Kara tensed her hands together, causing her knuckles to crack. ''I don't have enough to pay, and if I don't have enough…they'll…they'll…'' Before finishing, she once again stared at the beaten painting that lay behind Laura. ''That was supposed to be my ticket to the last bit of money I needed.'' She gestured towards the discarded artwork.

Laura followed her gaze and finally set her sights on the painting, and after a few good seconds of looking, the pupils in her eyes turned to stars and a wide-grin formed on her face. ''No way! You painted that?'' She gasped and grabbed the painting, holding it up and continuing to stare at it.

''You like it?'' Kara asked bemusedly.

''Are you kidding? This looks frickin fantastic! I love cool drawings and paintings! When I buy a ship, I want to decorate my whole cabin with all kinds of pictures!''

''You came to buy a ship?''

''Yeah! I've been saving up in the last few months. The only problem I have is finding a place that will sell me a ship,'' Laura said with a disgruntled tone. ''Apparently, it's not a smart thing to buy a ship the size I'm looking for without finding a crew first. It's catch-22, I can't hire a crew without a ship, but I can't buy a ship without a crew. It's frustrating as hell!''

Kara inhaled sharply as two and two were put together. Looking for a ship and a crew? She shifted nervously. ''You're…a pirate?''

Laura smiled. ''Technically kind of! I'm looking to be a captain, but I can't really do that without a ship or crew. Am I right?'' Her smile then turned into a frown. ''You don't have anything against pirates do you?''

''Oh no! It's just…other than the Cofresi Pirates, I've never met another one before.''

''The Cofresi Pirates?''

''That's the name of the pirates that take our money. They're named after their captain, Cofresi De Soto!''

''Not much of an ego then, naming his crew after himself.'' She said sarcastically.

Mentioning the pirates by name reminded Kara of the dangerous situation the naïve pirate was putting herself in. ''Listen, I'm not joking, you need to leave this town now! If Cofresi finds you, he'll…''

''How much were you selling this for?'' Laura asked out of the blue as she stared at the painting.

Taken back a bit, Kara's mind went blank as she remembered the number. ''I was commissioned and promised 500 beri...''

''What?'' Laura yelled in shock. ''This should be worth way more than that! But if you insist!''

''Huh? What do you mean…'' Kara didn't even have time to finish her question before Laura had pulled out a stash of money from one of her many pockets and practically forced it into Kara's hand.

''If you ask me, I'd say this was a steal…ironic since I'm a pirate!'' Laura giggled at her own joke.

As the joyful pirate laughed away, Kara stared hard at the money that had practically just been given to her, burrowed in the palm of her hand. This had to be a dream, or some kind of cruel joke! But no, once she clutched her hand over the money and felt the material in her hand, she knew this was real, she had a saviour. Her lip quivered and the tears came once again, uncontrollable as they rained down her cheeks.

Once again, Laura noticed the tears running down the other girl's face and immediately began to panic. ''Whoa, sorry, if you were looking for more you should have just said. I told you it was worth more than…'' She was cut short as Kara practically leapt forward and hugged the pirate as if she'd known her all her life.

''Thank you.'' Kara gushed messily through her weeping.

Laura sat there with her arms out stretched, still holding the painting, and her eyes shifting from left to right as Kara hugged her tightly. She remained unmoved against the emotional artist, before a familiar smell drifted across her nostrils. ''Hey, do you use shampoo?''

Eventually, Kara let go of the pirate and moved back to give her some space only just realising she was probably overstepping some boundaries, although Laura didn't make any objections. After wiping her tears away before answering. ''No, why?''

''Cause your hair smells like bananas.''

For the first time today, Kara released a real laugh.

However, that moment didn't last, as the sound of bellowing horns signalled across the horizon. Kara's body instantly tensed, whereas Laura looked up in confusion. The horn repeated over and over again. ''What's going on now?''

''They're here.'' Kara hushed in a frightened tone. She quickly leapt to her feet. ''You need to leave! Now!''

Laura barely had any time to respond before Kara already started making a run for the central part of town. ''Hold on, maybe I can help?'' The pirate called out.

As she jogged, Kara turned to yell back at her. ''It's too dangerous. You can't take on Cofresi and his crew yourself! Just leave and come back to the town tomorrow after they leave, and thank you so much for the money!'' That was the last thing she said to her before turning the corner and disappearing from Laura's view.

The horns thundered across town. Thankfully for Kara, she'd had time to regain her breath and was now able to pay her family's share towards the Cofresi Pirates. Sprinting along the roads, she turned her head and caught sight of the Cofresi Pirate's ship sails over the horizon. Their flag flapping in the wind, proudly displaying their jolly roger, a skull face with coins in place of the empty eye sockets, and beri bills crossed against each other instead of bones.

She huffed and puffed, desperately trying to make it back to town before the pirates docked. At last, she turned the final corner and made it to the centre of town where everyone else brave enough to be the ones to pay stood terrified. Kara nudged her way through the crowd until finally finding her parents. ''Mum! Dad!'' She called out and rushed over to them.

Gareth and Elizabeth turned to face their daughter, hugging her tightly when she got close enough. ''Is everything alright?'' Elizabeth asked.

''Everything's fine now! I got the money.'' She sighed with relief and showed them to money, proving their disbelieving hearts wrong.

''But,'' Gareth stuttered. ''We saw Mr Sukizo, and he said he didn't pay you. Where…''

''I had a last minute buyer. I'll explain everything…'' Kara stopped and looked down the road that led towards the harbour. Her parents followed their gaze and quickly understood the fear on her face…the pirates were here.

Walking down the road were about a dozen or so pirates, all dressed like they were ready for a battle with swords and pistols at the ready. None of them really stood out, except for one, their captain himself who was a giant of a man without technically being a giant. At over eight feet tall, and with muscles the size of canons, Cofresi De Soto towered over everyone around him.

His jet black hair flowed down his back and reached his belt, which carried a holster with a golden pistol, and on the other side was a gold-hilted sword which the people of Kaishi knew well, as they were still repairing the inn he tore apart with it. No one in this town could hope to stand up to someone of his clear strength and power, and even if they could, there would still be the rest of his crew and their firearms to deal with.

''People of Kaishi Town!'' Cofresi shouted with a deep voice. ''I'm sure you know by now why we're here. So, let's get today done with quickly, because I have a serious hangover right now.''

That last comment made Kara want to spit out at him with disgust. Though they always state they are using the money to add further protection for the town, they were most likely using the money to drink to their selfish heart's content.

Cofresi waved his hand for one of his pirates to come forward, while the captain stood to the side and let out a long, drawn-out yawn. The crewmember carried an empty sack with him in one hand, and a rolled up piece of paper in the other unfolded it quickly, and read aloud from the list. ''The Aku family!''

From the crowd of townspeople, one person emerged and walked up to the front. His eyes constantly shifted over towards Cofresi himself, as if afraid the behemoth would attack him any second just for walking slow. Picking up the pace, the man reached into his pocket and practically threw his money into the bag before hurrying back into the crowd. While Cofresi smiled greedily, the pirate called out from the list again. ''The Bertrand family!''

One by one, someone walked up to place their hard-earned money into the Cofresi Pirate's sack, as the pirates themselves chuckled along gleefully. Kara's heartbeat raced and she stood panic-stricken, knowing that her family were getting closer. She may have the money needed, but that didn't make this any easier, it just meant they had another month to gather the money without worrying about medical bills or equipment for her father.

Before long, Kara felt someone grasp firmly on her arm. She turned to see her father moving forward. ''Give me the money, I'll pay.''

''No, I'll…'' Elizabeth tried to argue.

''It's fine, dear. We have enough. I just want to be sure nothing goes wrong, and neither of you are put in harms way.''

The two adults confronted each other, quietly debating over whom should take it. Meanwhile, Kara stood motionless, holding on tightly to the money in her hands. She didn't want her father to go up, even if things appeared fine for them as they could pay, it was sickening that Gareth would have to do this with the monster that forced him in his chair. Desperately wanting to speak up, her lips trembled and her voice threatened to break through, but nothing came.

''The Kyd family!'' The pirate called out.

Kara flinched and her mind went blank. She felt hundreds of eyes turn in her directions, and she felt so much smaller than usual. There was a moment when she felt like she was going to pass out, both from fear and the exhaustion she'd put herself through today. Suddenly, she felt a tender hand take the money out of her hand, and when her mind became clearer, she realised her father was wheeling his way over to the pirates.

He placed the money in their sack with a plain expression on his face. As he was about to return to his family, Cofresi had to get a word in. ''So you have the money for _this_ month?'' He grinned devilishly.

Gareth felt like he had a dagger plunged through his heart, and his skin crawled as the memories of Cofresi and his crew beating him filled his mind, almost making him want to vomit. The cruel laughs of the pirates behind him didn't help matters either.

Kara bit her tongue. She wanted nothing more than to run up to her dad and hug him, and also lay a good fist across Cofresi's face. Her mother was a split second away from doing the exact thing, taking one step forward before being stopped by one of the townspeople.

The pirate with the list called out again. ''The Liano family!''

A pin could be heard if dropped with the silence that followed. No one budged from the crowd. Soon enough, mumbling started to grow between the people and everyone turned to look at each other. After a few seconds of nothing, Cofresi turned his head and like a hawk, picked out his target from the crowd. ''Mr Liano? What's the hold up?''

A tall but frail man stared back at the large pirate, shaking and dripping with sweat as he stuttered. ''I'm…I'm s-sorry…''

''Oh dear,'' Cofresi sighed. ''When I hear someone started with the words _I'm sorry,_ it usually means they're unable to pay me.'' He started to walk over to the man, who was frozen on the spot while everyone else parted out of the way, fearful to not cross with Cofresi. ''I hope that's not what you're about to tell me. You had a whole month to save up.''

''I just needed a bit more,'' Mr Liano shrieked. ''I promise, I'll pay you more next month, I…''

Cofresi halted, standing just a few feet away from his target. Kara wasn't too far away from the commotion herself, only blocked from view by at least three other people. She was close enough for his shadow to still reach her. ''Let me explain something to you. I didn't have to offer this town protection. But you people were desperate, not just because of the other pirates and bandits out there, but because of your local beast. So I, the great Captain Cofresi, stepped in to protect you fine folk from the dangers of the outside world. However, I need funding if I'm able to buy the crew and resources I need to protect you all.''

''A-and we're grateful, I just…''

''I wasn't finished!'' Cofresi hissed, silencing the poor, defenceless man instantly. ''Here's the problem with your excuse, if one person says they'll pay me next month, what's to stop other people from saying the same thing? If that happens, I won't have the money necessary to continue looking after you all. If that happens, that terrible beast of yours will come down from the mountains and wipe out this whole town. Paying me next month won't benefit you at all, if your town is destroyed and you're all dead. That's why I have to be firm with you all.''

Kara watched on, feeling so sorry for the man. It haunted her that a moment ago, her family could have been in a similar situation if it weren't for Laura. She wished for something, anything, to happen and stop Cofresi. Just then, she noticed the pirate's hand drifting towards the holster that held his pistol. Her thoughts were clouded, as she knew what was about to happen. ''Don't!'' She yelled loudly before thinking things through.

Clasping her hand over her mouth afterwards was pointless, her voice and its echoed carried over the whole area, particularly in the eardrums of the ruthless pirate. His eyes turned towards Kara's direction. ''Who said that?'' He asked curiously, but with a hint of annoyance in his tone. It was pointless for Kara to hide. Cofresi had already seen her face and glared at her with venomous spike. ''Hey, who is this one here?'' He asked his crewmember with the list.

The pirate trailed his finger down the list until he found a matching picture. ''Looks like it's the Kyd family.''

''Oh really?'' Cofresi chuckled and turned towards a shocked Gareth. ''It seems that the apple of disobedience doesn't fall from the tree.''

''P-please,'' Gareth pleaded. ''She didn't mean it.''

''Well, it sounded like she did,'' Cofresi muttered before marching towards Kara, who remained paralyzed with fear. Elizabeth wrapped her arms protectively around her daughter, though they both knew that would prove futile with the lumbering pirate getting closer and closer. ''What did you say to me?''

''I…'' Kara gasped through her hand. She wanted to force an apology, even if she couldn't stand the thought of saying sorry to a man like him, it may spare her family from any more torture. But knowing Cofresi, that wouldn't happen, she had stepped over the line. Her heart was climbing up her throat. A part of her almost wanted to tell him what she really thought, but right now, her words were stuck. ''I said…''

''If I were in her shoes, I'd tell you to piss off!'' A voice called out.

Cofresi flinched and gritted his teeth together, completely got off guard by the loud declaration whilst everyone else's jaws dropped to the ground in shock. Disbelief seized town. The giant of a man darted his blood-shot eyes in all direction. ''Who dares…''

''I dare, you big bully!'' The feminine voice called out again. All heads turned towards the side, standing further away and between the pirates and townspeople was Laura, arms folded and wearing a cold stare that could crack steel.

''Who are you?'' Cofresi barked.

''She's not on the list, sir.'' The pirate yelled at his captain.

''Ah, an outsider,'' Cofresi took a moment to regain his composer before stomping his way towards Laura, who didn't budge and inch and never took her eyes off the bully, even when he got closer and loomed over her. ''Listen here, this town is under my protection. And there is no one some shrimp like you can just stroll into town and talk to me like that!''

''It doesn't look like you're protecting this town to me. I know a bully when I see one.''

He was almost amused, as she remained unfazed, even when trying to stare her down and call her bluff. ''From the looks of things, you clearly have no idea who I am, or what I do. I am Captain Cofresi De Soto, chief and commander of the feared Cofresi pirates. My head is worth over three million beri! I'm more valued than this whole town and everyone in it! Anyone who crosses my path, ends up dead.'' He quickly drew his pistol and pressed the barrel against Laura's forehead.

The townspeople gasped in shock, particularly Kara, who felt a sudden tsunami of guilt rush over her. She told Laura about what happened, she tried to warn her that Cofresi was not to be messed with, and now she feared she was going to have to watch the young pirate die. She was a moment away from calling out again, when she noticed something odd…Laura smiling.

''Hmm, the gun's not even loaded,'' She commented. Cofresi arched an eyebrow and looked down at the woman with a baffled expression. Laura tapped the pistol with a finger and continued. ''What? You think this is the first time I've had a gun pressed against my head? No way, this has happened three times to be now, and their guns always felt heavy, yours on the other hand is a little on the light side.''

Everyone was like statues; unable to move as the tension racked up so thick, it could be sliced with a sword. Laura and Cofresi stared at each other with seconds passing by, until the taller pirate smiled.

_**CLICK! **_

Kara panted hard almost screaming. She would have screamed if a bang had followed, however, it seemed that Laura knew her stuff. Cofresi's released his finger from the pulled-back trigger before placing the gun back into his holster. ''Looks like you're not as naïve as I thought! Yeah, too be honest, I'm not much of a gun person. Too quick and easy, I just carry this for show. A sword though!'' His slow and calm demeanour quickly shifted as he drew out his golden sword and swung at Laura.

_**BAM! **_Most couldn't even see Laura's movement, not only ducking underneath the swing of the sword, but also her landing a hard punch right into Cofresi's stomach that was strong enough to make him cough out blood. He gasped for breath, and his stomach felt like it was crumbling from the inside out. Laura withdrew her fist, giving the tall pirate enough space to stagger forward before collapsing on the ground.

Looking down on him, Laura grinned. ''Yeah, I'm not a gun person myself. I much prefer punching.''

Neither pirate nor townsfolk could believe what they had just witness. Captain Cofresi had been downed in one hit! Kara thought it was too good to be true. She was afraid that this was all in her imagination, and she was going to come to realisation and see Laura's lifeless body beneath the monster of a man. It never came to that. Instead, Laura turned her attentions towards the rest of his crew. ''So, who's next?''

None of the pirates engaged her instantly, as if they were expecting someone else to make the first move. From behind their foe, Cofresi slowly rose to his hands and knees. ''Kill her! D-don't just s-stand there, kill her!'' He wheezed, wanting to shout at the top of his voice but couldn't find the strength.

His orders were enough to kick the pirates into motion, and they all charged at ones towards Laura, who raised her fists ready to fight. The first pirate in line swung his axe towards Laura. Once again, she effortlessly ducked out of the way before kicking him at his legs and sending him to ground. _**BAM! **_She laid a hard backhand against another pirate's face. _**BAM! **_She elbowed another in the stomach with her other arm. Both of them were too wounded to stop her, as she grabbed them both by their collars and tossed them into two other pirates with enough force to send them flying. Already, this stranger knocked down six pirates including Cofresi in seconds.

Just as one of the pirates was about to draw his gun on her, Laura quickly dropped to her knees and swayed both arms outwards, hitting him hard on the knees. The pirate buckled to the ground. _**BAM! **_That was followed with a kick to his stomach, sending him crashing into another pirate.

The four remaining pirates tried to cut her up with their weapons at once, but she jumped back, away from their attack. There was no time and space for her. All she could do at the moment was dodge and try to find an opening. However, it went on and she was unable to locate one, so she tried to rush things and make an opening for herself.

_**BAM! **_She punched one in the face after dodging his strike. Another jab at her, luckily she was able to move out of the way by spinning around and grabbed the pirate's arm with her own arm, trapping it over her shoulder. Knowing she had to end this fight quickly before she got overwhelmed, she slammed her arm downwards, bending the pirate's arm out of place. _**SNAP!**_ He let out a pain filled scream before collapsing to the ground holding his now broken limb.

Laura leapt towards the last two pirates and they jabbed at her once again. _**SLASH! **_Although she spun herself so that her body was horizontal, one of them still managed to cut her across her side. For a millisecond, she lost focus because of the stinging pain but kept at it. She placed one hand on one pirate, and her foot on the other while continuing her leap. _**BAM! BAM! **_She landed a double hit on both, her fist connecting against the cheek of one, and the bottom of her sandals kicking the other pirate's teeth out.

They flew to the ground, and Laura rolled along, the cut messing up her landing. But that could be forgiven, because she had somehow did it, she'd managed to take down all the pirates. She looked upwards with a great, big smile on her face. ''Well, that was fun.''

The townspeople looked on with bulging, disbelieving eyes and their jaws now definitely touching the ground. They couldn't comprehend what they had just witnessed, including Kara and her family. The artist was astounded; there wasn't any doubt about that. Her lips were about to curl upwards into a smile, and she nearly cheered at the marvel she had just witnessed, before she looked behind Laura and saw Cofresi not only rising to his feet, but also loading his pistol with bullets. ''Laura, behind you!''

Laura's victorious smile disappeared instantly, and without looking she turned and charged towards Cofresi. Unfortunately, everyone knew she wouldn't be able to reach him in time, as his pistol was now stocked. ''I wasn't lying when I said I'm not a gun person…but on this occasion, I can make an exception.'' He aimed the gun at her.

By this point, she knew she couldn't reach him in time and couldn't stop herself from running, so she had no choice but to use her secret weapon. She grabbed the wrist of her right hand, which began to shake and vibrate violently at inhuman levels. Not only that, but it also began to glow blue. Only metres away from him, her hand suddenly formed into what looked like an oval-shaped ball charging with energy, like the wheel of a car during a burnout. ''_Buzzsaw!'' _Laura cried out with a powerful echo.

_**BANG! **_

Cofresi fired his pistol at her, but the bullet hit her kinetic hand, causing it to harmlessly rebound into the ground next to them. Laura didn't stop, as she swerved her hand towards his face, leaving him no time to react. _**BAAM! **_His cheek caved in, and blood spurted from his nose and mouth upon impact. He was launched off his feet towards a building nearby, which turned out to be Mr Sukizo's shop, slamming through the wall and crashing with a heap inside.

As if everyone around couldn't be anymore shocked at what they just saw, though Mr Sukizo seemed to be more preoccupied with his now demolished shop. Laura continued to hold the wrist of her right hand, waiting for it to fizz out and return to its normal form, as if afraid her own hand would burn off. She sighed with relief before picking herself up and striding towards the wreckage.

''Incredible.'' Kara mumbled.

''Kara,'' Elizabeth shook her daughter's shoulders, getting her attention. ''You called out her name? Do you know who this person is?''

''Well…not really, she was the one who gave me the money for my painting.'' She replied awkwardly.

Gareth was finally able to reach them both. He wasted no time in interrogating Kara. ''Who is she?''

Now, Kara realised that everyone around them was looking right at her, waiting for her answer. Heat returned to her cheeks, as she gulped loudly. ''Uh…she's…a pirate.''

Meanwhile, Laura stepped through the gabbing hole in the shop and looked down at the badly beaten but still conscious Cofresi. ''Although you're nothing more than a bully, I have to admit, I'm impressed you're still awake after that hit.''

He let out a flurry of heavy, forced breaths. Though his face was bloody and broken, his expression was filled with surprise and confusion more than pain, although there was a lot of pain. More so when a fancy-looking lamp toppled from one of the shelves and broke when landed on his head.

After not getting a response from him, she stared at him fiercely. ''You're going to leave this town right now and never come back!''

Cofresi was unresponsive yet again for a first few seconds…then he started chuckling darkly. Laura watched on unmoved, as he picked himself out of the debris until he was finally standing on his own two, shaky feet. ''You…you've just doomed this town.''

''This town's better off without you. I'm not going to repeat myself, get out! Before I throw you out!'' She spat.

''Who the hell are you? Are you with the Marines? One of those Neo-Dragon?''

Laura's confident smile returned. ''I'm a pirate!''

''Really?''

''But, not just any pirate,'' Laura raised a single hand and clutched her hand in pride. ''I'm Aleyn Laura, the one who's going to defeat the King of the Pirates himself, Monkey D. Luffy!''

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

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	2. Rumble in the Jungle

**Queen of the Silver Jubilee**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing (unfortunately); all rights and characters in One Piece belong to Eiichiro Oda and other respective owners and creators. I gain no profit from this; it's purely for fun. I do own my OC's.

If you enjoyed this story and want to know more about my work, you can like the Rurrlock-God of Power Facebook page.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Rumble in the Jungle**

Cofresi didn't know whether to laugh at loud, or offer sympathy for Laura's delusional mind. In the end, he went with both, cackling loudly as he slowly got back onto his feet, using whatever was around him for steady support. ''You're either the funniest pirate I've ever met, or just plain stupid. You throw a couple of lucky punches, and you think you have what it takes to challenge the Pirate King?''

Laura folded her arms and stared down the wounded pirate. A threatening sneer plastered on her face. ''Those _lucky _punches sure did a number on you…for someone who thinks they're so big and bad they can bully a defenceless town.''

''I'd be cocky too, if I were a Devil-Fruit eater!'' A wild smirk remained on Cofresi's face as he spat out blood in Laura's direction. ''And yes, this town is defenceless. But I protect it!''

''From what?''

Another dark chuckle escaped his bloody, swollen lips. ''If you stick around, you can find out for yourself. As for me, I'm done. You get your wish. My crew and I will leave. But, I want you to watch the look on the townspeople's faces as we sail over the horizon, because it'll be a look of pure terror!''

There was a hint of curiosity within Laura at the meaning of Cofresi's warning. However, her anger over the bully's actions overwhelmed her, and all she cared for was seeing the backs of him and his crew. The larger pirates stumbled over broken debris and limped past Laura, neither one looking each other in the eye. He stepped through the hole created by his crash through the building, surprising the people waiting anxiously outside. Kara felt her heart stop, fearing the worst and that something happened to Laura inside and Cofresi was about to take out his rage on the townspeople.

''Mates!'' Cofresi called out. ''We're leaving! As of this point, we will no longer protect Kaishi Town!''

Whispers started between the people as Cofresi's injured crewmembers got up and started making their way out of town. Whimpers and grunts of pain filled their air as they limped and hobbled away. The only thing more broken than their bones was their pride.

One of the pirates reached down to grab the sack of money from the town's 'donation' before Laura's voice bellowed. ''You're going to leave that here!''

The lowly pirate's hand froze. Cofresi forced a smile that masked a hundred burning infernos inside, as Laura followed him out of the building. He turned to face her, and Laura could practically see the daggers in his eyes. ''You'll pay for this. No one, I repeat, no one keeps me from my money!''

''One more word out of you, and I'll drag you back to your ship!'' She threatened.

Seeing that she wasn't going to back down, Cofresi did the sensible thing and walked the other way. Waving his hand at his shipmate begrudgingly, signalling for him to leave the money behind. Laura eyed the fleeing pirates, making sure they didn't try anything else before clearing out. Once she was certain this was the end of it, she turned to face Kara in the crowd looking back at her, before giving the artist a warm smile and a confident thumbs-up.

Kara felt a smile tug on her lips until Cofresi called out. ''You all knows what this means! Everything that happens to this town from now on, will be on her head!'' He pointed to Laura. ''Keep that in mind next time the Beast comes into town.''

Laura's eyebrows arched upwards at his comment. Despite not wanting to do what that barbarian suggested, she did in fact look towards the townspeople as they watched the pirates leave. As predicated by the brutish captain, a panic-stricken look swept over them like the plague. They truly did fear for their well-being now that they knew Cofresi was no longer going to protect them. Even having their hard-earned money back was of little consolation.

''What did he mean by the Beast?'' Laura asked.

* * *

''Eat up, you must be starving.'' Elizabeth said whilst placing down a plate filled to the brim with fruits and vegetables of all kinds. Laura eyed the food hungrily, practically shaking the dining room table with anticipation before tucking into her gourmet of greens.

Elizabeth took a seat next to her husband, whilst Kara stood by the table nervously watching her new…friend? Acquaintance?

Their guest ate and ate like there was no tomorrow. The shy artist chose not to sit next to the pirate out of respect and personal space, rather than any fear. The same could not be said for the townspeople, whom all seemed to have gathered outside and peered at the scene through the kitchen window. It was quite the sight to see dozens of squashed faces against the glass, waiting to see what would happen next.

''Thank you so much for the food.'' Laura said excitedly, taking the time to bow politely in between munches.

Elizabeth smiled awkwardly. ''It's the least we could do after you stood up for our daughter.''

Gareth nodded. ''If it weren't for you, Kara would have been…'' He was unable to physically speak the horrible visions of what could have been. His trailing hand pressed against his leg. Laura quickly stared down, catching a glimpse of him swiftly pulling his arm away. With that, the fact he was in a wheelchair, and the tears that looked ready to flow from his eyes, she didn't need any more words from him.

She gulped down a large portion of a watermelon she bit into, outer skin and all. ''You're welcome.''

''How exactly do you know our daughter?'' He asked her.

''Oh, we just met. Bout an hour ago, just before those bullies showed up.''

Elizabeth leaned forward across the table. ''Kara mentioned that _you _were the one who paid for her painting.''

Suddenly, the pirate's eyes lit up, and a wide smile formed. ''Oh yeah, it was so worth it! Your daughter is an amazing artist!''

After the outburst of praise, Kara looked away bashfully, trying to keep her blushing cheeks in the shadows. ''They aren't that great.'' She muttered under her breath. For the first time since they'd brought Laura to their home, Gareth and Elizabeth smiled genuinely. Kara felt like she was being crushed under the weight of looming eyes, including the ones from the people outside, all nodding in agreement with Laura's statement. Reminded of the painting, Kara turned to Laura. ''What did you do with my painting anyway?''

''Hmm? Oh, I had to leave it on someone's roof while I took care of Cofresi and his goons.''

''You left it on someone's roof?'' Kara gasped.

''Don't worry. I know which one. The house with the blue roof…'' Laura hesitated before staring off into the distance to ponder. ''Or was it a pink roof?''

''Laura,'' Gareth abruptly spoke, earning the pirate's attention. ''Please understand that we really are appreciative of what you did for us. But…now that there is no one to protect this town, I'm afraid…'' Once again, the fear of what might happen crippled his speech. And everyone else seemed to be as hesitant to continue as well, knowing what the father was suggesting.

''Cofresi mentioned something about a Beast?'' Laura inquired.

''Yes, he did,'' Elizabeth answered shakily. ''It started about three years ago. Out of nowhere, some kind of creature…a monster, resembling a large gorilla, appeared from the forest just a few miles out of town. It tore through everything in its path. Destroying buildings, injuring so many people. Every few days, he would just come down and wreak havoc and chaos. The attacks became so bad at one point, most people who were injured…never recovered.''

Gareth took over the spare his wife having to relive the story. ''We tried to go to the Marines for help. But every time they arrived, there was no attack, and even after searching the forests they couldn't find any trace of it. At one point, a Commodore of the Marines lived with us for six months to wait for it to come down, but it never did. Then, the day after the Commodore was called back to the Marines, the Beast struck again. It was like it was taunting us. We became so desperate for protection…''

''You turned to pirates!'' All the excitement from Laura had faded away after hearing their story. She didn't even feel like eating anymore. Kara walked over to place comforting hands on her father's shoulders, easing the pain of his memories. The artist and pirate then shared eye contact for a brief second. ''I'll do it. I'll take care of the Beast for you!''

''What?'' Everyone, including the townspeople outside, yelled in shock.

''Yeah, I can make sure this Beast doesn't bother you anymore. And all it'll cost you is a map that can point me in the direction of someone who can sell me a ship.''

''Absolutely not!'' Elizabeth said firmly.

''Okay, fine, you don't have to waste a map.'' Laura grumbled. ''You can just point me in the direction of someone who will sell me a…''

Finally finding her voice, Kara cut in. ''There is no way we're going to let you go off to fight the Beast alone.''

''Why not?''

''You'll be torn apart within sixty seconds of the Beast finding you!''

''I doubt that. If Cofresi and his crew could hold off the Beast for months, then I should be fine.''

''But…'' Kara wanted to argue further, and would have if her father didn't hold up a hand in front of her face to silence her.

He turned to face the pirate. ''I think we need a moment to talk. If you'd like to see more of Kara's paintings, you can look in the other room!''

Laura squealed with delight before rushing into the next room with breakneck speed. Kara would have found the act amusing if their situation wasn't so dire. She looked at her parents, glum expressions on both their faces. Kara looked at them as if they were complete strangers. ''Father…you're not really going to let her go off to fight the Beast alone, are you?''

Gareth sighed a tremble evident. ''I wish it didn't have to come to this. But right now, Laura is our only hope.''

Kara folded her arms over her chest, holding herself as if it would help stop the shaking. A sick feeling erupted in the pit of her stomach as the events of today played back in her head. How did it come to this? How did today lead to someone she just met getting roped in to fight the Beast? Just then, a shocking realisation hit her like lightning. ''This is all my fault.''

''What?''

The guilt riled up within her to a breaking point. ''If I hadn't had opened my big mouth to Cofresi, then Laura wouldn't have needed to protect me, and things would just go on the way they normally do. But now, because of me, our town is defenceless and Laura might…''

''Don't blame yourself!'' Elizabeth barked, shocking Kara out of her panicked state. Getting her daughter's attention, Elizabeth's tone became more soother. ''Do you want to know what really would have happened if you didn't speak up. Mr Liano would have been very seriously hurt…or worse.''

Kara, in her daze, tried to recall the moment just before she called out to Cofresi. She remembered the look of fear on poor Mr Liano's face, as the greedy pirate closed in on him.

At that moment, some commotion was made by the townspeople at the window of the Kyd house. Pushing and shoving his way to the front of the crowd, Mr Liano himself appeared. ''She's right. I would have been a goner if it weren't for you. Thank you!''

Without noticing, a smile emerged on her face. It looked like there was some good to her actions after all. And the more she thought about it, the more she believed that maybe this was all a blessing in disguise. After all, Laura was right, the Cofresi Pirates have been handling the Beast for a while now, and she took them down singlehandedly without breaking a sweat. Kara loved the idea of destiny, and thought that maybe destiny was shining on her and her little town. ''I'd like to go with her!'' She suddenly admitted, before realising her mistake and cupping a hand over her mouth.

''What?'' Everyone, especially her parents, yelled in shock once again.

She cursed herself over and over again in her mind. What came over to even want to comprehend that idea? She felt terrible about putting Laura in this situation? Maybe this was her way of owning up for it? Or perhaps there was something more?

''Kara, we are not letting you go out there!'' Gareth snapped.

Feeling a new surge of confidence, or stupidity, it could've been both, Kara moved her hand away from her mouth and timidly responded. ''Those forests spread for miles. If she goes alone, she'll get lost. I can guide her.''

''I refuse! I won't let you anywhere near that Beast!''

''But you'll let Laura go?''

''You're my daughter!''

Elizabeth clutched Gareth's arm, trying to calm him down. ''Kara, why do you want to go?''

Kara stalled with her answer. A part of her wanted to find an excuse to get out of this situation, but at the same time, she felt that her going with Laura was the right course of action. ''Because I want to help her! I don't know how, or if I can. But I want to try.''

''This is pure insanity.'' Gareth hushed. ''I know you want to help your new…friend, but to go up against the Beast…''

''I won't be fighting the Beast. Laura will be the muscle and I'll be the…'' She paused. ''Guidebook helping her along the way.''

Gareth lowered his face into his hands, supressing his growing exasperation threatening to spill over. Only with Elizabeth's hand resting on his arm, he was kept in check. The townspeople outside watched on keenly, never looking away from the family whom remained motionless. Gareth and Elizabeth held each other whilst staring down at the wooden table, and Kara stood warily, twitching her fingers as she waited for a response from either of her parents.

''I'd like her to come.''

Everyone turned to Laura. The pirate stood by the doorframe with arms folded and a gritted look.

''You don't get to make that decision.'' Gareth said.

''You're right. I don't. But neither do you, this is all Kara's decision. And it sounds like she's already reached it.''

''You can't just come into our house and decide what's best for…''

''She's right.'' Kara interrupted. Her parents turned to her with a mixture of shock and panic. ''It's my decision. I choose to go with Laura and help her.''

Kara felt her words echo throughout the room. Not only could she believe that she had come to this decision, but also that Laura was supporting her with it. The next few seconds were agony for her as she could see a million thoughts visible across Gareth and Elizabeth's faces. Eventually, Elizabeth looked up at her daughter. ''Are you sure you want to do this?''

Kara slowly nodded. ''Yes.''

The inner-battle within the parents seemed to have died down, as they knew for sure that Kara was going through with this. While Gareth stared downwards, unable to look her in the eye, Elizabeth forced a smile. ''Very well. Please be careful!''

Kara didn't know whether to smile with happiness or cry with dread. She really was going to be doing this. Although it ate away inside her to see the look of disappointment on her father's face. It was already a nerve-racking enough day for him with the Cofresi Pirates coming to town. Kara wondered if she'd made the right decision. She turned to Laura; the pirate gave her an eager smile and thumbs-up. If Laura really was as strong as she seemed, then this will have been the right call.

* * *

''I can't believe I'm doing this.'' Kara mumbled to herself whilst nervously fidgeting with the straps of her backpack.

''I know, this is going to be exciting!'' Laura smirked as she rushed forward towards the entrance to the forest.

Kara stood rooted to the spot at the end of the road. She watched the eager pirate rush to the sea of trees, and prayed that some of her energy and bravery would rub off on her. Even though she was going with Laura at her own free will, she repeatedly stopped and questioned herself. Was she making the right choice in going? Her eyes wandered to the ground, eyeing the stone pavement. Taking things slowly, she took one step forward, and then another and another. She refused to look back at the townspeople and her parents, afraid that she would break down and run back to them. Her focus remained on the pavement, as the stones and slabs disappeared underneath overgrowing grass, weeds and flowers.

She continued onwards and never looked up, that is until she bumped into Laura, whom had stopped to wait for the artist. Kara backed away self-consciously. When she finally looked up, she was met with surprisingly caring and sympathetic eyes. ''You okay?''

Knowing that she had a genuine companion by her side, Kara felt assured. ''Yeah! Let's do this.''

Laura beamed brightly, grabbed Kara's hand and swiftly pulled her through the first few rows of tall trees. The buzzing sounds of insects in the greenery and chirping birds above beat against Kara's eardrums. Although the pirate couldn't wait to get started on their journey, Kara was doing her best to analyse every part of the passing forest, fearing that something would strike at any moment.

''So how do you know the way through this forest?'' Laura asked.

''Before the Beast came, the children of Kaishi Town took many trips through her. We know the trees of this place as well as the buildings back home.''

''Cool.'' Laura finally stopped once they came to a section that diverted into numerous paths. ''So which way?''

No longing being hauled, Kara breathed heavily to get the air back in her lungs. She stepped forward and pointed down a path towards their right. ''It's in the middle of summer, and there's a lake down this path. That would be a good place to start looking.''

Laura grinned and cracked her knuckles. ''Sounds like a plan.''

''What are you planning to do to the Beast once we find it?''

''Kick its ass, and show it that it can't torment your home town anymore.'' She replied confidently before marching ahead.

''And…you really think you can beat it?'' Kara inquired. A slight twinge of anxiety surged through her upon thinking over her question. ''I don't mean that you can't defend yourself, cause you can, I didn't mean to offend you. I just mean the Beast is strong, but you're strong, and…I just got myself muddled up.''

Laura didn't appear offended or concerned with Kara's rant. In fact, she seemed rather amused. ''I'm hoping I can beat it. Like I said, if that jerk of a pirate brute and his crew can manage the Beast, then we should be just fine.''

Kara nodded in agreement. Her worries eased slightly as she remembered the way Laura fought off Cofresi and his crew with ease, making swiftly and with enough power to send a man twice their size flying through a building. She'd heard stories about pirates who could shatter buildings with a single punch, and even pirate crews that could fight countries on their own, but seeing Laura's demonstration of strength alone filled her with awe and admiration. That's when she remembered something that had been pestering her mind for hours now. So much so, that she burst out before thinking. ''You're a Devil-Fruit user, aren't you?''

Laura's grin grew wider. ''Yep.''

''Unbelievable. I've read about them and heard stories, but I've never seen someone use their Devil-Fruit power with my own eyes!'' So many questions rattled in her brain, so much so that she no longer worried about the forest's descending darkness around them as they continued further. ''When did you eat your Devil-Fruit? How does it work? What does it actually do? What was the name of the fruit you ate?''

Laura scrunched her nose and looked upwards. ''Uh, the Buzz-Buzz Fruit…or was it the Blast-Blast Fruit? I forget.''

Kara's jaw dropped in disbelief. ''How can you forget the name of a Devil-Fruit that you ate?''

The pirate shrugged her shoulders. ''I didn't know it was a Devil-Fruit at the time. I stumbled into a market, was hunger, and saw a fruity-looking thing on a stand. Next thing I know, I got this rotten taste in my mouth, and my body felt like it was surging with energy. After getting use to it, I learned I could concentrate that energy into my punches and kicks.''

''So I'm guessing you're not registered in the Devil-Fruit act by the Government?''

''As far as I know, no. I'm as pirate-y as you can get.''

Soon enough, they reached a block in their path. Laid out in front of them was a large tree trunk, torn from the roots and left on the ground like a discarded toy. Laura inspected the trunk. The bark was cleanly ripped off, clawed away leaving only the pale wood underneath. She placed her hand on the tree; the stripped ribbons of wood were still warm, meaning that they were getting close. She leapt over the tree like it was nothing and walked on.

Kara struggled to climb over it, but was not discouraged as she interrogated her new friend more. ''How long have you been a pirate for?''

''Kind of all my life.''

Kara slipped off the other end of the tree, landing in a heap on the ground. She got up, dusted herself and raced after Laura. ''I mean how long have you been travelling as a pirate, looking for a crew?''

''A few months now. I've lost track of the days. When I started, I thought I had enough to buy a ship fit for a crew. But I underestimated the prices a tad.''

''How much do you have?'' Kara asked. Beads of sweat started to form on her forehead due to the jungle heat. She retrieved a cloth from the pockets of her backpack to wipe the sweat away.

''Million and a half.''

''That's not enough to get you a ship?''

''Not in this day and age! I even had to waste a week tracking a pirate with a bounty of half a million. Every little helps.''

At first, Kara was impressed to hear Laura captured a pirate with such a high bounty over their head. Then she recalled the bounty Cofresi claimed to own, three million beri, and her admiration for Laura somehow grew. ''What's your bounty?''

''I don't have one.''

''Really?''

''I haven't done anything that warrants a bounty…yet.'' She winked to her travel companion and then looked up to stare at the clear blue sky. The clouds that shrouded the burning sunlight before were long gone. ''But that'll change when I find _him. _Then I'm really going to shake the world and turn it upside down.''

Kara turned to her curiously. ''Him?''

''Monkey D. Luffy! I'm going to find him, and then defeat him!''

The artist nearly chocked on her own spit after hearing Laura's confession. Her mind was a buzz, trying to comprehend the insane notion of someone challenging the second Pirate King in history. She was so caught up in the moment, she failed to see where she was going, and ended up walking right into a tree, face first. She whined in pain as Laura checked the tree to find more torn ribbons of wood off the bark.

''We're getting close. The lake has to be right ahead now, right?'' Laura asked.

Slowly, Kara pushed herself away from the tree. Her face completely red. ''Have you completely lost your mind?''

''What do you mean?'' Laura asked innocently.

Kara let out a very stressed chuckle. ''What do I mean? You're telling me that you want to travel across the seas to find the most powerful pirate in the world? A pirate who has not been seen since the One Piece War more than thirty years ago, and challenge him to duel with the hope of actually winning?''

''Hey, I know Luffy is going to be incredibly strong. But I'm going to get stronger, and when I find him, I'll be ready.''

''_If _you find him! How do you know if he's even still alive? There's been no trace of him, the Straw Hat Pirates, or his ship. Even his surviving allies from the war and remnants of the Straw Hat Alliance don't have a clue on his whereabouts. He's become a legend that everyone talks about. A legend that changed the world more so than anyone in recent history, including Gol D. Roger!'' Kara halted. She needed a moment to get her erratic breathing under control and suppress the urge to throw herself into another rant. ''Why? Why do you want to beat him?''

It was shocking for Kara to see the pirate standing still with a blank expression. During her explosive outburst, the grin on Laura's face faded, although she didn't appear mad with Kara. The artist's heart tugged, briefly thinking that she had offended or upset Laura in some way, until the pirate spoke with candour. ''You said it yourself…he's a legend. I want to become a legend too. What Straw-Hat Luffy did was nothing short of inspiring. He defeated the Gosei and the Yonko of his time, and revealed the truth about the One Piece. Just being half the pirate he is would be amazing. But I want don't want to be just any pirate…I want to be the greatest! And the only way to do that is to beat the best!''

Kara saw the intensity in the pirate's eyes; it completely gripped her and convinced her that Laura was adamant with fulfilling her quest. It wasn't a complicated reason, or even the best reason to track Luffy, but it was what Laura believed with all her heart.

A slight smile returned to the timid artist. ''It's like something out of a storybook,'' She mumbled. Eventually, she rubbed her arm awkwardly and turned away. ''I'm sorry for snapping at you like that. I'm not normally like this, today has been pretty stressful to say the least.''

Laura shrugged casually. ''It's fine. You going off like that shows that you care.''

''Really?''

''Yeah. You're the first one who hasn't laughed in my face or made fun of me.''

Another rush of guilt swept over Kara. ''It felt like I did. I'm sorry.''

''No, you didn't. You don't have to keep apologising…''

''I'm sorry, I just…''

''You did it again.''

''Sorry…''

''You're still doing it.''

''Sorry, I…''

''Kara!''

''I'm sorry. I can't help it. I always feel like I say something wrong or I mess something up in some way, and apologising just makes me feel like…something, just…to give the reassurance that I'm not trying to offend someone!''

The nervous rambler was met with an amused grin from Laura. ''You're not offending or annoying me! I think you're pretty cool.''

Kara gasped and her eyes shot wide open at that statement from her new friend. A faint blush skimmed over her cheeks as she looked away. ''You're the first person to think that about me.'' She said with a slight smile.

Laura began to form an encouraging grin, until she turned sharply to look away, staring down the dark forest. A look of seriousness took hold, surprising Kara and throwing her completely off guard. She was about to ask the pirate what was wrong, and then it suddenly dawned on her that complete silence had fallen upon them. She let a few anxious seconds pass, waiting for the sounds of the birds and the incest to return, but they never did.

The silence was broken by a heavy exhale of breath from Kara…before an ear-bursting roar thundered behind them. By the time Laura and Kara turned, they saw a monstrous-sized palm come swinging towards them.

The huge hand would have crushed Kara if Laura had not pushed her downward and avoiding the strike. The pirate looked up to see 'the Beast' in its entire glory leap from the shadows of ripped tree trunks. Just as Elizabeth had described earlier, it seemed to be some sort of abnormally large gorilla, covered in dark blue hair and riddled with scars. However, its arms were ridiculously large in comparison to the rest of its body. Saliva and foam lathered its mouth as it roared, displaying its jagged teeth.

Laura reacted quickly to get back on her feet, just as the Beast swung its other hand at her. She outstretched her arms, and pushed back against the monster's strike. But she underestimated the strength, and was sent flying back into a tree, knocking the wind out of her. Thinking that it had claimed another victim, the Beast stood tall and pounded its chest furiously whilst letting out another roar that shook the leaves from every tree.

With a grunt of annoyance, Laura picked herself up. ''This thing packs a mean punch,'' She stepped forward and using the momentum, vaulted towards the Beast. Reeling her fist back, it ignited into a familiar glowing blue light and vibrated energetically. _**BAAM! **_She connected full force right in the kisser, knocking the gorilla off its feet and sending it flying. ''But so do I!''

As she lay on the ground with her arms above her head, Kara glanced up in time to see Laura deliver a strong right hook at the Beast. She couldn't believe what she was witnessing. For a moment, all the terror had left her system as she watched this woman land a blow against this fearsome animal.

However, the Beast didn't stay down for long. It hoisted itself back up and charged towards Laura. Its arms began swinging all over the place trying to hit the plucky pirate. She dodged every attack, but found it extremely difficult to find an opening to counter. The Beast lifted both hands in the air and brought them crashing down on top of Laura. Luckily, she covered herself and blocked the attack. Despite the gorilla's biceps being five times the size of hers, Laura kept him at bay using all her strength. The force was so great, that her feet began sinking into the ground. Her body would crumble if she didn't do something quickly.

Kara was mesmerized by the display of strength from Laura, but it was clear that the Beast outmuscled her and would breach her defence soon. Kara turned her attention towards the Beast, hoping to find some sort of weakness. Easier said than done. Not only was the Beast pure muscle, but it was also coated in a thick layer of hair that would act like padding…all except for one place. ''La-Laura, aim for its belly!''

''Huh?'' Laura called back through gritted teeth, feeling her arms begin to cave under the Beast's weight.

''The belly doesn't look as protected. You can attack there!''

Laura fixed her sights towards the Beast's stomach, and she saw what Kara meant. Though it had a level of hair, it wasn't as prominent as the rest of its body. The pirate figured it was worth a shot. It wasn't like she had many options at the moment.

Within the simpler mind of the Beast, the animal believed it had won this battle against its challenger, until it felt Laura begin to push back. Her arms lifted up slightly despite the Beast pushing down on her with all its strength. Then, Laura was able to slowly raise a foot from the cracked ground, bending her knee to lift her foot higher and higher. As she did this, her foot started to shake, akin to how her fist would before using her Devil-Fruit power.

Kara's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was seeing; Laura was outmuscling the Beast, even on one leg. The Beast breathed heavily, trying to squash Laura, but it couldn't. A smirk formed on the pirate's face as her vibrating foot glowed brightly. _''Hacksaw!'' _She yelled.

_**BAAM! **_With a powerful kick into the Beast's stomach, the gorilla gasped loudly and lurched backwards. Laura felt the pressure above her arms diminish. Now able to move freely, she clenched her right fist as it glowed and shook. _''Buzzsaw!'' __**BAAM! **_With another powerful punch, juiced up by her power, she knocked the Beast off its feet and caused it to crash and skid across the ground.

For a split-second, Kara thought they had done it. Laura executed that move so perfectly and struck the Beast so hard, she could feel the wind of the impact. That wasn't the case though, as the Beast sluggishly lifted itself up. Its knuckles were embedded in the ground and it shook its head.

''Boy, no matter how many times I knock him down, he won't seem to stay down.'' Laura huffed before turning to Kara. ''Do you have anymore ideas?''

Trying her best not to let herself be gripped in fear, Kara shuffled her body to allow her backpack to roll down her arm as she frantically opened it and began to search inside for something. ''I thought I should bring this, just in case we needed to trap the Beast.'' She pulled out a thick line of rope coiled twice over and showed it to Laura. ''We use it to tow ships into the harbour, or help to carry trees for logging.''

''Will it be strong enough to hold it?''

''I…I don't know…'' Kara responded hesitantly. ''But it might be worth a shot.''

Laura gave her companion a reassuring grin and nod of the head. ''Okay. You set the trap, I'll lure the Beast in!'' She then charged forward before Kara even had time to respond.

At that moment, the Beast lunged forward to attack as well. It flung its enormous arms around, trying to hit the pirate, as she ducked, dived and rolled out of the way over and over again, occasionally landing a good punch against the gorilla. However at this rate, it would take forever for Laura's punches to wear it down.

Meanwhile, Kara remained rooted to the spot with the rope still in hand. Unsure of herself and fearing that she might make things worse. She knew it there and then as she watched Laura go toe-to-toe with this monster that has terrorised her and the townspeople for years, she was out of her league. Time sped up around her, as everything seemed to sink into darkness around her, until she heard a faint cry of pain. She looked back up to see that Laura had gotten too close at some point, allowing the Beast to slap her with his gigantic hand. Fortunately, she absorbed most of the impact by covering herself with her muscular arm, but the Beast was still able to knock her back significantly. But that didn't stop her, as she jumped forward to continue the fight. _**BAM! BAM! **_She landed a double punch against the Beast's face, knocking it back.

They went blow for blow, neither backing down.

Kara's grip on the rope tightened. Laura was counting on her. This pirate whom she had only met that day was doing everything in her power to help her and the town. The least Kara could do for her was try.

Moving as quickly as humanly possible, Kara took the rope out of her backpack and dashed towards the closest tree. She silently prayed that the rope wouldn't slip out of her slippery hands as she tied it around the trunk of a tree, time was key in this situation. Once she was sure the rope was secure, she sprinted around every close by tree she could reach. Hurrying while watching the brawl go on away from her.

As she fought the Beast, Laura noticed what Kara was doing. Her lips curled into a smirk.

Eventually, Kara reached the end of the rope, and fastened it tightly around a thick branch. ''The trap is ready!'' She cried out as loud as she could.

''Stand back!'' Laura called out in return.

The artist didn't need to be told twice, rushing away from the battle scene whilst retrieving her backpack from the ground nearby.

Laura unleashed a flurry of punches into the belly of the Beast, causing him to stumble backwards until the animal was right in front of the valley of ropes. ''Time to end this!'' Laura said. The Beast bared its fangs and jumped over Laura's hand, plummeting towards her. Kara watched on helplessly, fearing the worst, until she saw that now both of Laura's hands were ignited and ready to strike. _''Bucksaw!'' _

_**BAAAM! **_Her body leaned forward, and both her fists launched forward to clobber the Beast in the stomach once again, with even more power than before. Her arms recoiled backwards, and she tried not to fall backwards from the force of the attack. As for the Beast, it remained wounded in the air for a split-second before being sent flying into the ropes. Trees were uprooted and some of the ropes snapped as the creature slewed for a good hundred yards, becoming entangled in ropes and broken trees.

The pirate stood her ground, breathing heavily and sweat pouring from her forehead. Her knuckles now coated in bruises. Once her legs began to shake, she stumbled about for a bit, trying to stop herself from collapsing. Kara returned and helped Laura stay on her feet. The exhausted firecracker looked up at her friend, smiling happily before resting a hand over her shoulder. ''Nice work.''

Kara looked at Laura and then glanced towards the Beast. The gorilla was yet again trying to get back up to continue the fight, however, the ropes entwined around his whole body tightened with every movement. It roared loudly in defiance. Seeing the creature tied up and defeated, Kara couldn't help but smile. ''We…we did it?''

''Told you we would!''

''We did it!'' Kara screamed joyfully. The two women laughed and cheered at their victory. The artist couldn't hold back the tears, perhaps a late reaction to all the fear and panic she felt during the fight, or maybe tears of happiness with their victory, right now she didn't care. Realising she was crying, Kara wiped away the droplets rolling down her cheeks while Laura walked over to inspect their Beast.

''So what are we going to do with him?'' She asked Kara, ignoring the Beast's grunts and its attempts to break free. It was clear that the gorilla wasn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon.

''Maybe we can find it a permanent home away from the town.''

''How are we going to do that? Didn't your parents say it just kept coming back to the town, even after the Marines showed up?''

''Yes. But maybe we can find a place for it.''

Laura rubbed the back of her head and turned to look at the struggling animal. ''I supposed we can use the ropes to drag him along without worrying about him breaking…huh?'' She stopped mid-sentence as something caught her eye.

Noting the halt in Laura's sentence, Kara called out. ''What's wrong?''

''Come and look at this!''

Wasting no time, and curious as to what Laura had spotted, Kara rushed forward. As she got closer to the Beast, she became hesitant, even though it was tied up really good. With a few more cautious steps forward, she stood next to Laura and spotted what the pirate had seen. Confusion engulfed, as she looked closer upon a certain spot behind the gorilla's knee as it turned and thrashed. ''That's not a scar. It…looks like a brand mark.''

Laura nodded. ''And not only that…''

Just when the two thought they had this mission all wrapped up, a new mystery had been uncovered as they stared at the peculiar mark. The animal's hair had been burnt away, revealing a small bit of skin in the shape of a skill with two large rings hanging from where the ears would be. The creature had been branded like cattle, as if it were under ownership by someone.

''It's a pirate Jolly Roger mark!'' Laura confirmed.

**To Be Continued…**

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	3. Mystery of the Beast Brand

**Queen of the Silver Jubilee**

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing (unfortunately); all rights and characters in One Piece belong to Eiichiro Oda and other respective owners and creators. I gain no profit from this; it's purely for fun. I do own my OC's.

If you enjoyed this story and want to know more about my work, you can like the Rurrlock-God of Power Facebook page.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Mystery of the Beast Brand**

''The Beast…'' Kara gasped. ''Belongs to a pirate crew?''

''It would seem so,'' Laura replied. Her eyes were fixed on the brand scarred into the creature's back leg. The Beast continued to struggle, especially when the reckless pirate took a few more steps closer. Kara held out her hand, wanting to pull her new friend away just in case things went wrong. The blue-haired pirate got close enough to get a better view of the Jolly Roger. ''I don't recognise it.''

The Beast's growls grew louder. Its muscular hands grabbed at the rope, trying to pry itself free. Kara wasn't exaggerating when she said that this rope was strong. The only thing that the gorilla was accomplishing was injuring its bulging muscles.

Kara shook her head and paced up and down, so many questions now burning at the back of her mind. ''Why would a pirate crew send this animal to attack our town? What could they hope to gain? It explains why the Beast wouldn't attack when the marines came because someone was using it. But, who? Why? I don't know!'' She slapped her hands against her head, hoping that she could beat the knowledge into her subconscious.

She lifted her head when she felt Laura grip her arm firmly. ''We're not going to get to the bottom of this mystery just standing around.''

''I know, but…we don't know who that Jolly Roger belongs to.''

Laura grinned. ''Then we best find out.''

''How?''

Kara wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing when she saw Laura's smile grow wider and more mischievous. She pointed at the Beast. ''We get this big guy to show us the way.''

Kara's bottom lip trembled and her knees began to wobble. ''Are you out of your mind?''

''No, I'm thinking outside of the box. It's a habit a pirate picks up.''

''Probably why the life expectancy of a pirate is incredibly low!''

If Kara had any hopes of convincing Laura out of her extreme plan, they would soon be crushed as the pirate rushed towards the Beast. Kara quickly followed behind, cautious enough to keep as far away from the struggling creature as humanly possible, whilst remaining close by to her comrade. The Beast noticed their movements and grew interested in what they planned to do, especially when Laura moved a few steps closer.

Before she did anything else, Laura turned to Kara. ''Stay behind me, just in case.''

''You don't need to tell me twice.'' Kara gulped and grabbed the back of Laura's shirt.

An amused giggle emitted from the pirate. ''You shouldn't stand too close.''

Kara looked at her in confusion. Laura never seemed to have a problem with personal space before, so why now all of a sudden? Not wanting to argue, Kara let go and tracked back, giving the pirate plenty of free room.

Laura exhaled as she reached forward. ''Don't try to bite my hands off, I'm going to let you go.'' She whispered to the Beast, hoping that it would have at least the slightest bit of understanding on what she was about to do.

Surprisingly, the Beast seemed quite calm and didn't try to attack Laura as she took another step closer. They were literally within close enough of a distance to smell each other's breath. It was only when Laura's hands glowed blue around the edges and vibrated that the animal started to get agitated. Kara clasped her hands together, afraid to watch. Still, the Beast didn't attack. Laura was now close enough to grab the rope. She took it in her hands, flinching slightly, expecting the Beast to grab her. Still nothing. Letting out a silent, relieved sigh, Laura got to work, using her hands to heat the rope and slowly cut through it like a hot knife through butter.

The Beast moved raising its body upwards when it realised what Laura was doing. Kara took an instinctive step backwards and ignore the part of her that was screaming to grab her friend and run for the hills…which was every part of her. A shadow loomed over both girls as the Beast revealed its full size, feeling the rope loosen. Any moment now, the Beast would be free, and Kara wasn't sure what would happen next.

A single bead of sweat trickled down the side of Laura's brow as she finally managed to burn through the rope. In a flash, the Beast latched its giant hands on the gap and pulled it apart, tearing the hot rope to shreds.

Kara screamed and Laura leapt backwards, igniting both her hands into balls of energy. The sound of twin engines thundering boomed throughout the forest, followed by the sound of the Beast pounding its chest and roaring mightily, loud enough to blow the trees back and cause them to wave. After letting out a cry of freedom, the Beast turned its attention to Laura, looking like it was out for blood.

''This was a bad idea!'' Kara whimpered.

If the Beast had looked at her, he would have seen how terrified she was. However, its eyes were drawn to its real opponent, who glared back with ferocious intensity. ''If you want to go again, then come at me!''

Kara stared at Laura. ''That wasn't the plan!''

Ignoring her, Laura tensed her body. Blue light shone all around her, and she started to vibrate fast enough to become a blur. For a second, Kara thought that she could see smoke radiate off the pirate. Despite the Beast towering over her, the blue-haired fighter struck a more imposing figure, and Kara didn't seem to be the only one that knew it. A low, rumbling growl passed through Laura's gritted teeth.

The Beast slowly started to retreat, not wanting to have another go, especially when it had only just reclaimed its freedom. Laura advanced one step, and then two. At this point, the Beast figured that it wasn't worth it. It turned around and hobbled further into the forest, threatening to disappear amongst the thick vines and shadows. Thankfully, because of its huge size, its devastated path wouldn't be difficult to track.

Winning the face-off, Laura panted and relaxed her body. The smoke, if there was any, and the blue around her body disappeared. Her body stopped vibrating, although a small shiver crawled up her spine. She winced and cleared her throat before looking back at a still startled Kara. ''Come on, let's follow it!''

''Follow it? I won't be able to keep up.'' Kara said ashamedly.

Instead of blunting agree with her or harshly criticising her, Laura merely smiled and reached back to grab her hand. ''Okay, then you better hold on tight.''

Kara grimaced. ''I'm going to regret this.''

The breath was thrown right out of her as Laura tugged her onto her back. Luckily, Kara latched her arms around Laura's neck just in time, because the pirate soon sped off like a rocket. Kara's weight seemed to have no impact on her, as her feet glowed a brilliant blue and hurried after the Beast, following the dismayed path left in its wake. Kara held on tightly, afraid of being thrown off as Laura seemed to get faster and faster, throwing her arms back and shoving away any giant leaves or vines in her way.

''Are you okay back there?'' Laura yelled.

If Kara opened her mouth, she would end up swallowing a large gulp of air, or worse, a swarm of bugs. Instead, she opted to hold her thumb up in front of Laura.

The pirate smiled widely. ''Good, cause the Beast is a lot quicker than I thought, so I'm going to move faster.''

''What?'' Kara shrieked. At that moment, a bit of bark slapped her in the face, becoming stuck in her open mouth.

She didn't have time to remove the bark as Laura sprinted to insane speeds, almost jumping about like a rabbit in a race.

* * *

For Kara, this torturous ride seemed to last for an eternity, when really it might have been ten minutes at the most. Laura could cover a lot of ground, and apparently, the Beast could as well. They had long left the limits of where Kara had ventured in the forest. At this point, they were flying blind, Kara couldn't be Laura's guide anymore, and this troubled her. What good could she do now? Suddenly, her anxiety increased to new levels she didn't think possible. She was in unknown territory.

Finally, Laura dug her heels into the ground and skidded along until they came to a complete stop. She set Kara down before hiding behind a large boulder and peering over it. Kara swayed about, with her head wobbling off her shoulders and her eyes juddering all over the place. At least she could finally spit the bark of wood out of her mouth, catching it in her hand. Clutching her stomach, she walked over to Laura and leant against the boulder. ''Are we there yet?''

''I think so,'' Laura replied and pointed into the distance. ''The Beast is going into that cave.''

Kara glanced over the boulder, needing a moment to not see double vision. She was staring at the wide mouth of a cave, shrouded in darkness, and the Beast climbing into the cave.

''My guess is that the pirates that own him are in there.''

''So what's the plan? We sneak in and then what do we do?'' Kara inquired.

Laura grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. ''If we find the pirates, you just let me handle them. Come on, let's hurry before we lose it.''

There was nothing in Laura's tone that was malicious. She didn't intend to hurt Kara, however, the shy girl couldn't help but feel disheartened at the pirate's comment. Now, she really was beginning to feel useless. She had served her purpose, not she just felt like dead weight that would distract or annoy Laura. Letting out a shaky breath, she followed her as closely as possible.

Once they reached the mouth of the cave, they looked inside. The moment the light from the setting sun stopped, it was impossible to see anything. They would be hopelessly blind in there. Kara turned to Laura. ''Can you use your Devil-Fruit to light the way?''

Laura hummed thoughtfully. ''I could. But that would make noise.''

Kara considered their options. Her eyes drifted to the shadows, slowly growing as the sun continued to set. The sun. An idea sprung to mind. She took the bark in her hand, setting it on the ground. She quickly reached into her back and pulled out a small glass cup. Holding it at a certain angle, the light from the sun shone through the glass and focused on the bark. A small whiff of smoke appeared, and soon, the top part set alight in a burst of flames.

Laura beamed. ''Awesome! Great thinking,''

With a shy nod, Kara took the bark and lifted it over her head, using it as a torch to light their way.

The only sound they could hear were the faint drops of water landing in puddles. Their visibility was limited, as the light of the torch didn't travel far. They took slow steps, making sure that they wouldn't walk into anything they shouldn't. Traps, bottomless pits, Beast leavings. Kara shuddered at the thought of anything jumping out and surprising them, although, she felt hopeful knowing that Laura was standing close by, ready for action.

Seeing Laura so determined to venture forward, seemingly not afraid in the slightest, it gave Kara more confidence in her stride. It was something she knew she needed to work on herself. Looking back at the pirate, seeing how resolute she was about helping her find these pirates, Kara grew curious. ''Why are you helping us?''

''Hmm?''

Kara mentally slapped herself. ''No, no, sorry. That was horrible of me to ask,'' She mumbled nervously. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she tried again. ''I mean…before today, you didn't even know me. Yet, you bought my painting when I really needed the money. You saved us from a group of pirates you had no business with. You fought against a monster to free us, and now you're looking to find the people at the root of our suffering. I just want to know why you're going to such lengths to help people you don't even know.''

''Well, the painting one is easy to answer. It was a really great painting and I wanted to buy it,'' She giggled, cupping her hands behind her neck and looking at Kara with a cheeky grin. ''And does it matter whether or not you know someone if they need help?''

''No, it doesn't. It's just that you're doing so much to help.''

''There's a few reasons. The most important one is that I _do_ know you,'' She nudged Kara in the shoulder, surprising her. Another giggle came from her when she saw Kara narrow her eyes in confusion. ''We may have only known each other for a day, but I've gotten to know you in that time, and you're one of the most awesome girls I've ever met.''

After that statement, it wasn't just the flames that were lighting up the cave, as Kara's cheeks brightened and her heart felt like it was going to rip out of her chest.

''Also,'' She continued. ''I promised that I would help you. Until we get this Beast mess sorted out, then I can't say that I have helped you. When I make a promise, I never break it. Not even if Skypiea fell from the heavens and threatened to crush me. Besides, I'm curious to get the bottom of this mystery. This is the most fun I've had on my adventure so far. It'll be a great test for me. If I one day hope to defeat Monkey D. Luffy, then I have to push through every challenge that comes my way. Right?''

Kara stared blankly at Laura, a million thoughts racing through her mind. She still couldn't believe how dedicated she was to helping her, despite giving her reasons. They were very understandable reasons. But to be coming from a pirate, a group of people she had only ever had negative experiences of in person…it left her in awe that such a pirate would exist, and that she would get to meet one. A smile grew on her lips. ''I understand what you mean.''

The moment was interrupted, as a strong gust of wind seemed to come from further in the cave, blowing out their touch. Laura and Kara groaned, wondering what they were going to do now until they realised that there was another light in the darkness. Further ahead, at the very end around the corner, a dim source of light beckoned them. Not only that, but there was also the faint sound of metal banging.

They rushed forward, keeping quiet and remaining on guard. Unsure of what they would find, they peeked around the corner and they eyes widened. There were many possibilities on where the light was coming from and what was making that noise, but this was not something that either of them expected.

Beyond the gloomy entrance, illuminated by a few lanterns and hanging torches, lies a long wooden pathway with a dozen or so pirates using pickaxes to hack into the rocky walls. Further ahead were two more paths, twisting into one large balcony with a man overlooking the mining operation. A tall, lean man with a thin moustache jutted out to ludicrous lengths. However, his moustache wasn't the most striking feature, as Laura and Kara couldn't tear their eyes away from the abnormally large ears the man processed. In his hand was a metal rod with twisted carvings and a foul stench secreting from small holes.

Behind him, sitting on a table at was a large man hidden in the shadows, looking at broken shards of gold. The shadowed man laughed maniacally as he played with the gold in his hand. ''We're making a breakthrough today. We've dug up more in the past few days than the months before.''

Before Laura and Kara could tell each other how familiar the man's voice sounded, the tall pirate turned around to address the man in shadows. '' After your hiccup in Kaishi Town, you have no right to applaud _my_ operation. You're lucky I haven't cast you and your motley crew out to die at sea.''

The silhouette got out of his seat and stepped out of the shadows to address the tall man. Kara couldn't stop a quiet gasp from leaving her when she saw who it was. Laura clenched her fist tightly as it took all her willpower not to jump up and punch his lights out.

Cofresi De Soto groaned and refused to look the tall man in the eye. ''Listen, what happened in town was just that…a hiccup. If that bitch of a pirate stayed behind, then the Beast has probably torn her to pieces right about now. We've got nothing to worry about. Once she's dead, I'll go back to town and watch the townspeople grovel at my feet once again.''

Kara bit her lip. ''That heartless…''

''I knew there was no way that brute could fight the Beast himself,'' Laura hissed quietly.

Up above, the tall man stalked Cofresi, remarkably looking down on him. ''No, I don't want to make it that easy for them.''

Cofresi arched his eyebrow. ''Then, what do you want me to do?''

Unlike the loutish captain he was speaking to, the tall man's voice was slick and honeyed. ''Once this pirate that drove you out of town is dead, we will let the Beast rampage on Kaishi Town. A few days at the least. No let up. No mercy. Even when the townspeople beg for you to intervene, you will stand by and watch. Only when they are reduced to their last resources and they have experienced grave loses will you arrive to drive the Beast away. But, only after you double your asking price.''

''Double?'' Cofresi chortled. ''Not to harp on your plan, cause I love it, but those poor bastards could barely afford the first target we set them. I don't know if they're going to be able to keep up.''

The tall man gazed over towards one miner, who was in the middle of pulling out other small shards of gold from the rubble he was digging into. The man's expression was cold. ''Then…we don't stop the rampage.''

''What?''

''The next time I set the Beast loose on the village, we won't call it off. The only reason we even do so is to keep those villagers off our backs and away from our true operations. The gold in this mountain is worth more than what those poor scroungers can provide for us. It's not worth keeping them around for much longer. When the Beast returns, we shall set him loose on Kaishi Town…one final time,'' A rumbling sound came from underneath the balcony, causing it to wobble. Everyone on it shook and lost their balance, all except for the tall man, who glanced to the side. ''Speak of the devil.''

Right on cue, the Beast that Laura had set free climbed up the balcony and rested itself right in front of the tall man. Cofresi backed away nervously with one hand over his golden sword, ready to use it. An edgy smile slithered across his face. ''Look who's back! I guess that pirate must have been taken care of. Shame I didn't get to see it.''

The Beast panted, keeping its head down as the tall man advanced towards it, unflinching. Whilst in terms of overall mass the Beast dwarfed the man, their height was comparable when it hunched on its hands. Nothing about the man's expression changed. Ever since Laura and Kara spotted him, he kept the unwavering, dull look constantly on show for all to see.

_**BAM! **_Suddenly, the tall man raised the rod and smacked it onto the Beast's shoulder. The animal let out a hollowing cry, cowering away and holding the wound. Laura and Kara looked on in shock, even Cofresi seemed stunned by the out of nowhere attack.

''What the hell is wrong with him?'' Laura snarled.

Subtly, Kara pointed towards the Beast, ''Laura, look,'' Immediately, something stood out. As the Beast whimpered, it pawed at its aching shoulder, a rash forming underneath the hair and turning a dark shade of red.

''Whatever that rod is made if is painful to the gorilla. That must be how he keeps it in check.''

Kara shuddered, her heart going out to the creature she had only ever come to fear. ''That's so cruel.''

As the Beast whined and backed away into a corner, Cofresi stepped forward, approaching the tall man with a perplexed look about him. ''What did you do that for?''

''This stupid animal, not only failed to kill the pirate you talked about,'' He shifted his gaze down from the balcony, glaring in the direction that Laura and Kara were hiding. ''But also let itself be followed.''

The two women panicked and pressed themselves further into the wall, out of sight. Not that it would do them any good right now. ''Busted,'' Laura mumbled.

Cofresi looked confounded. ''What? There's someone down there?''

The tall man called out. ''I know that you are hiding there. Whoever you are, come out. If you don't, I will just send my men to come after you.''

Kara felt her heart race. She thought about bolting for the exit, but it was already too late. They would be hunted down before reaching the mouth of the cave. She'd never felt so trapped in her life. Laura's hand being pressed against her chest brought her out of her panic attack and back to reality. She turned to the pirate, a serious look on her face as she locked eyes with Kara. The gesture wasn't lost on the timid, young woman. She shook her head at Laura, expressing her opinion. As if that would do anything.

Before she could stop her, Laura turned heel and emerged from her hiding spot. She leapt into view, staring up at the tall man and Cofresi. The brutish pirate's jaw dropped. ''You?''

''You should have high-tailed it out of here when you had the chance, you big bully,'' Laura yelled confidently, pressing her fist into the palm of her hand. ''But I'm kind of glad you stuck around because now I can teach you a listen you won't soon forget.''

Cofresi's face started to drown in sweat. His feet were locked onto the floor of the balcony, too afraid to move. The tall man looked over his shoulder at the scared man. ''So this is the pirate that drove you out of Kaishi Town?''

A disgraceful expression formed on his face. ''Yeah, that's her. She's tougher than she looks, and she has a Devil-Fruit.''

''I see,'' He returned his glare in Laura's direction, twirling a finger around his pointy moustache. ''I have two questions for you. Who are you? And who else is with you?''

''The name is Aleyn Laura! And it's just me that you have to worry about!''

His lip twitched slightly. ''I highly doubt that. These ears never lie. I know that I heard another voice. You didn't come alone.''

''Like I said, it's just me you have to worry about,'' She stretched her hand out and beckoned Cofresi forward. ''Come on then, how about round two?''

''There is no need for that,'' The tall man replied, much to the relief of Cofresi. ''He already had the chance to take care of you and failed miserably. Now, I will deal with this matter myself.''

''And just who the hell are you?''

''My name is Van Gorad. I am the captain of the Gold-Digger Pirates!''

Laura scanned the area around her, eyeing all the miners working away. ''Real original with the name.'' She mumbled sarcastically.

''And what of your crew, Aleyn Laura?''

''I'm still working on that part.''

''Either way, you have seen too much. I cannot promise that your death will be quick, but it will be painful,'' He prowled the edge of the balcony, never taking his eyes off of Laura. The pirate gleefully waited for her opponent to come down so that they could square off, cracking her knuckles. Gorad whipped his rod about, purple liquid oozing through the holes.

Kara watched on from her hiding spot, keeping as quiet as possible so not to be heard by Van Gorad's giant ears. She clutched the fabric of her shirt over her chest, praying for her friend's safety. Whereas she knew all about Cofresi and what he was like, this was going to be way out of her league. Unlike back in the forest, she didn't know how she was going to help Laura with this battle.

_**BAM! **_Just when it seemed like Gorad was ready to come down, he surprised Laura by whacking his rod hard against the Beast, causing another rash to appear on its skin. The gorilla howled in exasperation and jumped off the balcony, down in front of Laura. It bared its teeth and growled at the blue-haired pirate. It knew what it had to do to get on its master's good side, whether it was consensual or not.

Laura felt anger surging through her body as she barked at the deceitful abuser. ''What's the matter? Too scared to fight me yourself, coward?''

''I prefer not to dirty my hands. When I have such a powerful creature obedient to my every whim, why let it go to waste?''

Cofresi couldn't waste the opportunity to let out a hollering chuckle. ''Not so tough now, are you?''

''I beat the Beast before and I can do it again. Once I've done that, I'm going to come up there and kick both your ass's!'' She scowled at them before fixing her gaze onto the Beast, softening her expression. ''Sorry big guy, but I need to get through you. I promise I won't go as hard as I did before.''

It was as if it could understand her and register her words. The growls weren't as harsh and there was no bloodshot look within its eyes. A fight would happen one way or the other, and the animal instinctively knew that to avoid another lashing it would have to win, however, it felt compelled to hope that this stranger could save him.

Gorad walked to the other side of the balcony, standing before a large curtain blowing gently in the wind. ''In that case, we shall have to raise the stakes.''

He prodded the rod into the curtain before using it to pull it away, whilst slamming the tip against whatever was inside. The fearsome roars of multiple large gorillas quickly drowned the sound of banging metal. Inside five other cages, more giant gorillas, all resembling the Beast beat their chests and cried out in fury. The odour from the rod was more than enough to antagonise them.

Van Gorad's expression never faltered, even after his dramatic reveal. ''There's always the chance that my Beast would die by natural causes. So I had to be sure, and enlisted a whole family to serve me.''

Laura stepped back, looking on in disbelief, as did Kara from a distance. ''Oh no,'' She whispered. For the very first time, she was scared for her friend's life and didn't see any hope in her situation.

Flicking a switch near the cages, all of the doors opened and the animals sprung from their cages. Gorad smacked his rod onto the ground next to them, causing them to jump in fright. Without any hesitation, all of the gorillas hurled themselves down into the main area, surrounding Laura.

''Crap,'' She whispered to herself.

The Beasts slammed their large fists into the ground, pounded their chests and roared so loud they caused the cave to shake. However, they stayed back, waiting for their master's command. He greatly obliged. ''Kill her.''

All six leapt at her, coming in at blistering speed despite their massive size. Laura ducked underneath one of them and vaulted underneath it, avoiding its giant arms. However, she didn't see another one reach out and grab her by the leg until it was too late. Its grip was tight as Laura felt herself being flung back and crashed into a wall nearby. She got back up, only for another gorilla to beat its arms onto her. She blocked the attack, her feet caved into the ground by the force of the blow.

Lifting one foot off the ground, it glowed before morphing into swirling vortex of energy. _''Hacksaw!'' __**BAM!**_

She kicked the gorilla in the stomach, knocking it away and giving her some space to move. By the time she glanced around, another gorilla slammed elbow into her back. _**BAAM! **_Laura cried out and flew over the ground, skidding along and almost crashing into another gorilla waiting for her. Thinking quickly, she pressed her hand into the ground and pushed herself upwards. The momentum carried her upwards and she kicked at the gorilla. _**BAM! **_It stumbled backwards and she had room to land.

''_Buzzsaw!'' _Both fists glowed and vibrated fiercely. Turning her heel, she didn't even need to look to know that another gorilla was hovering over her. As it came down to crush her, she weaved underneath its massive arms and uppercut it underneath its hairy chin. _**BAM!**_

As that animal was propelled into the air, Laura failed to notice another one sneak up behind her and drape its arms around her, squeezing her against its chest. Laura felt her bones being ground into dust. She struggled to break free, pushing against its arms in the hopes of liberating herself. Another gorilla charged right at her, and she was powerless to run away. There was no way she could outmuscle the gorilla in this position. She needed another way out, and quickly.

_**BAM! **_Catching the gorilla off guard, Laura slammed her head back into the gorilla's face. Its eyes rolled into the back of its head briefly, and its arms loosened their grip on her, giving her just enough time to throw her arms back. She grabbed the gorilla by the hair on its shoulders and using all her strength, tossed it over her head and launched it into the charging gorilla. They collided into one another, smashing their faces together and slumping to the ground.

Once she landed back down on her feet, Laura let out a croaked cough, spraying a bit of blood onto the ground. The other gorillas swiped and punched at her, and she gave it her all, ducking and dodging to the best of her ability. Easier said than done. She could keep her eyes on one or two just fine, but when they attacked together, she needed eyes on the back of her head.

Kara could see that she was in trouble. Despite Laura giving it her all and doing damn well for someone in her position, all she could manage was to knock one back only for two more to attack her from behind. There was only going to be one outcome in this brawl, and it wasn't an outcome that Kara wished to see. She looked around the area, hoping to find something that Laura could use to turn the tide. Nothing stood out. These gorillas weren't going to stop as long as their master commanded them.

It suddenly hit Kara like lightning. Gorad's rod! That's what he was using to keep the gorillas in check. If he didn't have that, then the creatures would have no reason to serve him. Kara knew what had to be done, however, Laura had no way of reaching the cruel pirate. The only way they could get their hands on the rod was if Kara went after it herself. She knew that the chances of her succeeding were as low as her confidence. But, Laura was out there getting the crap beating out of her.

''_We may have only known each other for a day, but I've gotten to know you in that time, and you're one of the most awesome girls I've ever met…I promised that I would help you…''_

Reminded of Laura's words, Kara exhaled and ignored the rapid pace of her heart. She quickly peered around the corner, taking her eyes off the fight to properly inspect the balcony that Gorad and Cofresi were on. She followed the trail, past the wooden and ledge and along a small, rocky pathway just behind them. There was a way for her to climb up and around them without being spotted, especially with them being focused on Laura's battle with the gorillas. After patting her hand over the wall next to her, Kara checked for anything she could use to climb up.

Her hands were trembling and the layer of sweat building on her fingers wouldn't help, however, she started to climb upwards. The times long before where she would climb the trees in her hometown to get better views of landscapes kept her motivated. If she could climb them, she could climb this! She could make it! She repeated it over and over again in her head. Stifling any doubts or fears that she had, her trek blurred with every rock and ledge she climbed. Before she had even realised it, she was already high up and looking down at the battle, with Laura still fighting valiantly, though noticeably more bruised and bloodied.

Kara couldn't let herself get distracted now. She fixed her gaze towards Gorad, more specifically, his rod. Keeping as close to the wall as possible, she shimmied along the ledge, occasionally needed to stop so that she could step over a gap. One misstep and a fall would result in a painful landing. Closer and closer, she soon found herself crawling right above the balcony, looking down on the seemingly unsuspecting pirates. Now that she was above them, she realised that she hadn't properly thought about how she was going to get down and take the rod from Gorad.

''_Bucksaw!'' _

Laura's struggling battle cry brought Kara's attention back to the fight. The blue-haired pirate launched both of her powered-up fists into the stomachs of two gorillas, firing them both into the air and causing them to clatter into the wall. At last, the fight stopped for a moment, so that both parties could take a breather. The gorillas panted heavily and their growls were muffled. Bits of hair ruffled and blood over their face and chests. Laura wasn't in much better shape. She slouched forward, keeping her fists clenched, showing off her heavily bruised knuckles. A single trail of blood rolled out from her nose, which she wiped away with her sleeve.

Cofresi rubbed his hands gleefully, enjoying the show. Gorad remained motionless before walking over to his partner, keeping his eyes locked with Laura. ''You are impressive. I'm surprised that you've lasted this long. However,'' Swiftly, he grabbed Cofresi's gun from his holster, ignoring the brute's mystified grunt.

_**BANG!**_

Without looking up, Gorad fired a single bullet in Kara's direction.

The rock that Kara was attempting to grab blew into little pieces and she lost her balance, slipping over the ledge and rolling down the side of the slanted wall. Her body thudded along the rocky surface before crashing into a table on the balcony. Everyone near Gorad, including Cofresi, watched in confusion as Kara cried out in pain and rolled off the table and onto the balcony floor.

''Kara!'' Laura screamed, dumbfounded at this new development. As far as she was away, she thought that Kara was still safe in her hiding spot.

Gorad nonchalantly placed Cofresi's gun back in his holster and walked over to the wounded, young woman. ''I told you that these ears never lie. I knew that the pirate wasn't alone.''

Fighting through the pain, Kara sat upwards. Her weak arms shook horribly and when she opened her eyes, everything was blurred for a moment. By now, her heart was pounding so rapidly, it wasn't a series of beats…it was a single hum. Tears stung her eyes as she felt Gorad jab his rod into her chest and push her against the leg of the table, holding her down. A foul stench wafted near Kara's nose, almost making her vomit. She could even see the purple mist seeping through the holes of the wooden weapon. It might not have had the same effect it had on the gorillas when touching her, but she could understand why it would be harmful to them. To be hit by this thing, it made her heart weep.

''Hey,'' Cofresi yelled. ''I recognise her. She's the girl who tried to talk back to me earlier today in Kaishi Town.''

The blue around Laura's body flared severely. ''Don't touch her!'' She thundered.

Before she could run in to help, the gorilla's blocked her path. Laura knew that she couldn't get to Kara without being stopped by one of them. She tried to think of something, but her head was throbbing too much.

As Kara felt the rod being thrust against her chest, possibly close to piercing her skin, she stared at Gorad. ''Why are you doing this? What kind of sick mind would force animals to cause pain to others?''

Gorad looked down upon her. No emotion as he spoke. ''A pirate.''

Something about that answer pained Kara worse than any injured she had sustained. The way he so callously summed up his view on being a pirate, something that Laura was, caused a fire inside of her to rise. She grabbed the rod, indifferent to the harsh feeling on her palms, and stared deeply into Gorad's harsh eyes. ''You're no pirate!''

''Really? Then what is a pirate in your eyes?''

Pushing aside her fear, Kara argued strongly. ''Laura is a _true_ pirate! She's not only strong and courageous, but she's thrilled by adventure and never backs down from a challenge, no matter how hard it is. She lives her life the way she wants to and has dreams and aspirations that make her life one big journey. You just hide and plot, using other people to get what you want. That's why she's more of a pirate than you'll ever be. That's why while you're still crawling in dark caves digging for gold…she'll be the one to beat Money D. Luffy, the King of the Pirates!''

Kara's voice echoed throughout the cave. Everyone's eyes were all on her, including Laura's, who stared in amazement.

Gorad didn't display a noticeable reaction until he lifted his head upwards slightly and narrowed his eyes. He didn't say anything. No one did. The silence was only interrupted when Cofresi let out a bellying laugh, amused tears flowing down his hairy cheeks. ''You can't be serious! You actually believe that crap? _Her? _Defeat Monkey D. Luffy? It's funnier listening to that joke the second time!''

As Cofresi continued to cackle, much to the infuriation of Kara, Gorad pressed his rod harder against Kara. She groaned agonisingly but kept her hands locked on the rod, ignoring the pain that the smoke seemed to be causing her. Finally, he responded dispassionately. ''Tell me, how will she defeat Luffy…when she will soon be lying here dead along with you?''

Panting heavily, Kara shifted her gaze away from the tall man and to his weapon, strengthening her grip on it. ''That's why I came with her. I had no idea what I would face, but I wanted to help Laura in any way I could. No matter how much it hurts!''

Kara let out an unexpected scream and lifted her right knee up as hard as she could whilst pushing the rod down. Everyone watched in slow motion as the rod snapped, breaking apart into two pieces, purple ooze spraying from the cracks. Gorad's eyes bulged and a single gasp escaped him. For the first time, an emotion was plainly seen on his face…utter surprise and panic.

Kara's knee immediately turned red and flinched. Her hands grabbed her leg and she bit her bottom lip to stop herself from bawling. A few tears slipped through her closed eyelids.

Below, the gorillas watched on in disbelief. They saw the broken rod drop to the balcony floor, liquid and smoke seeping out before disappearing into nothingness. It seemed to slowly dawn on them what this meant. They could stand taller than before, not have to cower and flee at the smallest slip-up. Even they began to shed some tears. Quiet whimpers filled the ears of everyone in the mine. Speaking of which, the miners and pirates of Gorad and Cofresi's crew slowly started to back away, realising what this now meant. The shackles were off.

At the very back, Laura couldn't stop herself from smiling proudly.

''What…what have you done?'' Gorad shuffled away from Kara, looking at the remains of the rod. ''Do you know what you've done?''

Kara didn't answer. She simply smirked, finding joy past the indescribable pain.

However, that moment didn't last, as Cofresi dived forward and grabbed Kara by her hair. She cried out at the sudden movement, her right leg shaking uncontrollably. ''If I knew that you were going to be this much trouble, I would have done this earlier!'' Cofresi hissed before taking out his gun and holding it against her forehead.

The cave trembled. The wind started to howl and rage all around, blowing out the fires of the lanterns. Soon, the only light that could be see was coming from down on the ground, coating everything in a dark shade of blue. Cofresi was afraid to look, but his curiosity got the better of him. He glanced down at Laura and felt his heart stop.

Smoke poured from her body, as a blue aura that resembled the flames of a furious fire flickered and sparked outwards. The ground beneath her cracked and broke apart. Even the gold collected nearby started to bubble. The gorillas backed away, overwhelmed by the sudden outburst of heat that the pirate was generating. Laura let out a thunderous roar as she stared at Cofresi, her pupils turning blue. The brutish pirate was too scared to pull the trigger and had even forgotten he was still holding onto Kara.

''I said don't touch her!'' In the blink of an eye, Laura disappeared, rocketing past the gorillas that were blown away by her speed. Gorad and Cofresi lost sight of her. They could feel her presence but couldn't find her. As quickly as she disappeared, Laura reappeared right in front of Cofresi, both her arms engulfed in a pulsing blue light. A pitiful look flashed across his face, but it was too late for sympathy as Laura flung her arms back before propelling them at him like canons.

''_Chainsaw!''_

_**BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!**_

She unleashed a flurry of punches at him. One after the other, the punches just kept coming and coming. Kara was free of his grasp and dropped to the floor. Laura still didn't stop. The barraged and super-powered blows hit Cofresi everywhere. His eyes were white as he lost subconscious halfway through the hellish barrage. Eventually, he was flung right off his feet and sent careering through the wall behind him, demolishing the rock in his path. Light poured into the cave as he soared outwards, disappearing over the horizon, leaving behind a single glimmer in the sky.

Gorad stumbled backwards, scarcely believing what he had just witnessed. Laura's arms lost their blur but the smoke remained. Her voice was hoarse as her body heaved with every pant. Gorad looked at the pirate's quaking fists, still clenched when he saw her body turn. The look on her face sent a bolt spearing through his body. ''No, don't hurt me, please. Take the gold. It's yours. I surrender.'' He begged.

Now, Laura was the one who was emotionless, probably because she was too exhausted. ''I'm not the one you need to deal with.''

Before he could question her, the balcony wobbled as the family of gorillas landed next to him. Now, he felt quite small standing next to the animals, especially when they flashed their sharp, bloody teeth at him. ''Stay back!'' He cried out, quickly grabbing one piece of his rod and hitting it against the first gorilla's arm. It splattered into small pieces upon impact. The gorilla didn't baulk. Whatever substance was in the rod had lost its effect when the rod broke.

Gorad shrieked and wasted no time in running away and climbing through the hole created by Cofresi, as the gorillas beat their chests and gave chase.

Laura sighed with relief, finally finding the chance to relax for the first time in hours. She limped over to Kara, who was struggling to stand up with her bad knee. ''I got you.'' The pirate soothed, taking Kara's arm and hooking it over her shoulder.

Letting out a husky laugh, Kara rubbed her eyes. ''I can't believe I did that.''

''I can,'' Laura beamed. ''Told you, you are awesome!''

Their moment of peace was interrupted as a shadow loomed over them. They looked up and were surprised to see a single gorilla approaching them. Instantly, they recognised it as the one they had dubbed the Beast. It stood before them and then bowed its hand and stretched its hand out at them, revealing its palm.

''What's it doing?'' Kara asked.

Laura chuckled. ''I think he's trying to tell you thanks.''

Kara turned and stared at the creature she once feared. To see it show her respect and empathy, it went against everything she thought was black and white in the world. She thought that monsters existed in this world. Well, with people like Gorad and Cofresi, that was true. However, she now knew that things were never as they would first appear. She reached out with her own hand, brushing her fingers against its smooth palm.

Satisfied, the gorilla drew its hand back and stood back up, turning to leave through the hole that its family jumped through.

Seeing such a magnificent creature give her its respect and part ways, Kara couldn't hold back a wide grin from growing on her face. Laura laughed infectiously and started to help her friend. It would be a long walk back home in the state they were in. But in the end, it was worth it to save Kara's home. Before they left, a glimmer caught their eye and they turned around, staring at the pile of gold still sitting on the table.

* * *

Kara stretched her arms over her head as she limped out of her room and into the kitchen, where her parents were already busy cooking a delicious meal. The smell of sizzling bacon and eggs was a fulfilling reward after the day she had yesterday. Her stomach growled loudly, signalling her presence to her folks who greeted her with warm smiles. She shyly rubbed her stomach and hobbled over to the table. Thankfully, her leg wasn't broken, although it would take at least a few days before she could walk properly and she had a nasty bruise to show off.

''Hmm, breakfast smells lovely.''

Elizabeth laughed. ''This is actually dinner.''

''I've been asleep all day?''

''We just couldn't bring ourselves to wake you.'' Gareth rolled away from the table and over to her. ''How are you feeling, kiddo?''

''I'm better,'' Kara replied. ''Is Laura still asleep?''

''No, I think she's awake. She hasn't come out from her room yet.''

Kara peered over at the door of the spare room, wondering what the pirate was doing. She would have thought she'd be starving after what she went through. It had taken them all night to walk back home. Needless to say, not only were the townspeople shocked to see the two women return at the crack of dawn, but also return with chunks of gold to help pay back for all that they had lost thanks to Cofresi's swindling.

After setting another plate on the table, Elizabeth walked to Kara and hugged her firmly. ''I'm so glad you're okay.''

''Better than okay.'' Kara returned the gesture.

''Damn straight,'' Gareth said.

Elizabeth shot a glare his way. ''Honey…''

''What? It's true,'' He retorted and gazed at his daughter affectionately. ''What you did was nothing short of a miracle.''

Feeling her cheeks redden, Kara shrugged her shoulders. ''I think it's obvious that Laura did most of the work.''

''Hmm, that's not what she told us.''

''What do you mean?'' Kara inquired.

Her mother placed her hands on her shoulders and smiled warmly. ''Before Laura tucked in for the night, she told your father and me how instrumental you were in stopping Cofresi's plan. She says that she couldn't have saved the town without you.''

''Really?''

Elizabeth nodded, a prideful twinkle in her eye. ''She said, and I quote, that she may be the pirate, but you're the hero.''

If Kara thought that she had used up all her tears yesterday, she soon found that she was wrong. A smile tugged her lips and she glanced over to the spare room door. She locked eyes with her mother. ''I'm just going to check up on her.''

With a nod, Elizabeth allowed her daughter to go to her friend. Kara briskly walked through the hallway, not even letting the pain in her knee be a distraction. She knocked twice.

''Come in!'' Laura called out.

Kara opened the door and stepped inside. She was surprised to see Laura sitting on the window ledge, feet dangling outside and looking out towards the sea. The pirate peeked over her shoulder and smiled at her. ''Hey, how's it going? Leg feeling any better?''

''Yes, it's better. Thank you,'' Kara nodded and strolled over to her new friend. ''How long have you been awake?''

''Few hours, I think,'' Laura replied. ''Just wanted to have a good look at the view.''

''Hmm, it is a wonderful view,'' Kara rested her elbows on the free space of the windowsill, staring out at the waves gently brushed against the shore. ''Sometimes, if I'm lacking in inspiration to draw, I would just come in here and stare out at the sea for hours.''

''It's pretty easy to get lost in the sea. Both figuratively and literally!'' She chuckled.

Kara giggled lightly before going quiet. Although the timid young woman was happy for Laura, there was a bit of sadness in her voice. ''You'll be leaving today, won't you?''

She failed to pick up on the tone of Kara's question. ''Yeah, your dad mention that there's a harbour just a few days walk from here. If I'm going to get myself a ship, that would be the best place to start.''

''And a crew?'' Kara spoke before she could stop herself. She sharply turned to Laura. ''I mean you're going to need one, aren't you?''

Another laugh escaped the pirate. ''Of course! Not only is it going to be tough out there, but I'd be bored as hell if I journeyed on my own.''

Kara hummed in agreement. ''Do you have any idea of what you're looking for in a crew?''

Laura took a moment to ponder, folding her arms over her chest and drifting into a deep thought. ''Just fun people who I enjoy being around.''

After that, Kara remained quiet and kept her head down. Laura looked to her just as the artist turned to pace around the room, rubbing her arms anxiously. Seeing her get so nervous all of a sudden, Laura tilted her head and shifted her body off of the windowsill. She walked over to Kara, who stopped suddenly and turned sharply in her direction, keeping her head down.

''Kara? What's up?''

Kara took a deep breath. ''I know that I'm not strong. I'm not that smart. Sometimes I don't have the right answers, and even if I do, my mind might get jumbled up and I end up forgetting even the simplest of things. I feel like I get in the way or annoy people. But I still want to help. I don't know the first thing about being a pirate. Before today, I didn't even know you existed, but I'm willing to help you fulfil your dream. I didn't want to trouble you, but I knew that I would regret not asking you before you leave. You don't have to accept but…but…I want to come along with you!''

The room went quiet. She felt like she was going to faint, not because she got her speech out in one take, but because of the seriousness of what she was asking. She lifted her head, panting heavily, and locked eyes with Laura. The pirate stared at her with wide eyes. ''You want to…join my crew?'' Laura asked in disbelief.

There was no turning back now. Kara nodded affirmatively. ''I do! If you want me to come along.''

She kept her head bowed. Partly out of respect, although she felt embarrassed at the same time. She braced herself for the inevitable. Being a pirate was beyond her, that's what she believed. Keeping her eyes on the ground, she felt Laura move slightly but didn't say a word. Curious, Kara lifted her head, almost having her eye poked out by the pirate's outstretched hand.

''Welcome aboard, first mate!''

Kara's breath stilled. The words got stuck in her throat as she continued to stare at Laura, the blue-haired woman smiled brightly. Kara extended her hand, grabbing Laura's as the two shook. A smile form on her face, slow at first, before growing wider and Kara jumped up in delight. ''I can't believe this is happening!''

''It's happening, if you want it to.''

''Yes, yes! I'm really doing this. I'm really doing this? I am really doing this!'' Kara bounced about the room until a sharp pain twisted around her knee. She reached out to grab the door handle to stop herself from falling, pushing the door open slightly. Releasing a mixed bag of laughs and groans of pain, Kara looked back at the amused pirate. Laura laughed along with her friend. However, when she glanced past the door, her expression turned serious.

Kara followed her gaze and was met by the sight of her parents waiting at the end of the hallway, eyeing her with similar grim expressions.

Quickly standing back up, Kara approached them. She cupped her hands together, timidly fiddling with her fingers. ''Mother, father…did you hear what I said?''

They nodded unanimously.

Tentatively, Kara looked away. There was still time for her to change her mind and apologising for making such a rash decision, especially without informing her parents first. But that would break Laura's heart. Kara had just poured her soul out to the pirate, begging to go with her. She _wanted_ to go. The consequences will come, but she was willing to live with them. Looking at them both, Kara lifted her chin. ''I know that this is shocking to hear…''

''Actually,'' Gareth hushed. ''We expected this.''

''You did?''

''It's not what we wanted to hear, but we knew it was coming. I just expected Laura to ask you first.''

Now it was Gareth who stared at the ground. Elizabeth took his hand in her own, still gazing at her daughter with teary eyes, though her smile never wavered. ''Your father and I talked last night…if you did decide to go with Laura on her adventures. We discussed the possibility of stopping you. But, that wouldn't have been fair to anyone.''

''But you _want_ to stop me!''

''Of course, we do,'' She pleaded, faltering a little bit. She brushed aside a single tear that flowed down her cheek. ''The world is a dangerous place, especially for a pirate. You'll be put through all kinds of perils, and we hate to think of something terrible happening to you, and we're powerless to do anything to stop it. You're our little girl.''

Understanding where they were coming from, Kara nodded her head and cursed herself for failing to hold back her own tears.

Just when she was about to say something, Gareth spoke up. ''After yesterday, we realised that you're not a little girl anymore. You're growing in a brave, young woman. Ready to see the world and all its wonders. If it's what you really want, we won't stop you from chasing your dream.''

''You're going to let me go?'' Kara choked, her smile returning.

They answered her by opening their arms. Kara rushed forward and embraced them, letting the waterworks flow. Holding one another tightly, they didn't want to let go, even when snot bubbled out of their noses and onto each other's shoulders. They enjoyed the feeling of being together for what would surely be the last time in a very long time. With the day going by, Kara knew that if she was going to make her move, it had to be now.

She reluctantly let go and wiped away her tears. ''I'm going to go pack! I need to make sure I'm fully prepared!''

She dashed down the hallway, passing by a grinning Laura and into her own room. The pirate didn't want to step in where she didn't need to. It was a family moment, and she thought best to stay out of it. Now that Kara was free to pack, Laura exchanged a look with Gareth and Elizabeth. Their expressions were hopeful, yet…suspicious. Not of Laura, she had more than proved herself with all she's done for them.

''Take care of her,'' Gareth snivelled. ''She means the world to us. Please, make sure she stays safe.''

Resorting to a simple tilt of her head, Laura calmly stated. ''I promise.''

* * *

Kara stared at Kaishi Town one last time. From up on the hill, she could faintly see the townspeople gathered around their homes wishing her a fond farewell. It took all of her willpower to not burst into another tsunami of tears. She kept herself strong knowing that this wasn't a final goodbye, but merely…till we meet again.

Next to her, her friend nudged her playfully on the arm. ''Ready to go.''

Gulping and shaking away her fears, she turned to Laura. ''Yeah, let's go!''

''Awesome,'' Laura fished out a map from her pocket, revealing their route across the land. ''Your dad said that the harbour we're looking for is called Southporton. It's not too far.''

''They'll have ships there.''

''He said that's where they sell them. Obviously, pirate ships are going to be hard to come by, but I'm sure we'll manage!'' Laura marched forward, taking long strides as Kara followed closely behind. The captain turned around to see that her first mate was retrieving something from her bag. ''What are you looking for?''

Kara flinched haven been spotted and worked frantically to find what she wanted to get. She might have overdone it with the packing, but she needed assurance that she had all essentials and didn't go unprepared. Finally, she grabbed a folded sheet of paper and handed it over to Laura. ''It's for you. I managed to finish it before we left.''

''Wow, I've never had a present before,'' Laura unfolded the paper and felt immobilised when she saw what was inside. The sight of a beautifully drawn and detailed pencil sketch of herself, her body flowing with blue energy and striking a battle-ready pose welcomed her.

The artist shifted. ''It's a little rushed, I know, but I felt inspired to draw it…

Her heart raced a few clicks faster after Laura let out an ear-piercing squeal of delight. ''I love it! I love it! I love it!'' She wrapped her arms around Kara and swung her around.

She let go, and Kara was left spinning and wobbling about to find her balance. ''T-thank you. I'm glad you do.''

Laura giggled happily. ''If you're going to draw more stuff like that, we're going to need to buy the biggest ship so that I can hang them all in my cabin!''

Boosted by her nakama's praise, Kara beamed. ''With the adventures we have, I hope that I feel inspired. I want to draw as many incredible works of art as I can, for as long as I live.''

With a confident smirk, Laura looked into the distance. ''Then let's go and see what's beyond the horizon!''

* * *

Shielding himself under the thick vines from the torrential rain, Gorad listened out, praying that he would be spotted by any of the fierce wildlife, especially a family of vengeful gorillas. In his rough, mangled hand, a Den Den Mushi rung, waiting for an answer from the other side. The communication device was completely white, with two, large bunny ears draped over its eye-antennas. Gorad was afraid that he would be left to rot until finally, a voice was heard on the other side. _''Who is speaking?'' _The voice was calm and deep.

''Yes, hello? This is Van Gorad, captain of the Gold-Digger pirates! Located in the East Blue on…''

''_Yes, yes, I know who you are,'' _The voice interrupted impatiently. _''Hurry and update me on your progress, I'm a very busy man!''_

Gorad gulped. ''My progress…has…hit a dilemma.'' He bit his tongue, dreading the need to elaborate any further.''

A few seconds passed before a reply came. _''What kind of dilemma?''_

''My mining operation was foiled by a pirate! She came out of nowhere, defeated Cofresi and my beasts, and took off with most of the gold. Now, I'm on the run from my own slaves and have no way of escaping. I need your help to…''

''_What is this pirate's bounty?''_

''Huh? Uh…I didn't get a bounty.''

Another moment of silence passed. _''I see. How many were her crew?''_

The snail almost fell out of his hand, because of the heavy rain that thrashed down and him and because he couldn't stop himself from trembling. ''Um…she was alone. She doesn't have a crew.''

The voice took his time to reply again, but this time, Gorad could hear a disgruntled sigh. Any remnants of the calm and imposing figure that controlled the gorillas were long gone, as he feared for what his boss would say next. _''Did you at least get a name?''_

''Yes, yes, I did! Aleyn Laura.''

''_The name is unfamiliar to me.''_

''I believe that she may be a rookie. But she is strong and has the added benefit of a Devil-Fruit. But I know that you can stop her, and help me to reclaim my gold and…''

''_Stop right there!'' _The voice said calmly, though a hint of malice was evident. Gorad did as instructed. _''I don't care for you, I don't care for your gold, and I certainly don't care for some rookie pirate.''_

''But…Boss Furopp?''

''_I have more important deals to make with more important people. You and that loutish pirate, Cofresi, are small game. I will not waste my time to help you. You are wasting my time now. The only reason I entertained your business proposition was because you supplied a decent amount of gold. In the long run, your operation being halted means nothing to me.''_

''Please, don't leave me here to die!'' Gorad wept, losing any sense of pride.

''_I am going to ignore the fact you just talked over me simply because you will be dead soon enough and be a forgotten memory. If you have nothing more to say, then we are done.''_

Whimpering louder than before, Gorad tried one last desperate plea. ''She…she said that she was going to defeat Monkey D Luffy!''

He was expecting to hear the click of the Mushi, however, instead he heard his boss move in the background. _''Repeat that.''_

''She thinks that she can defeat the Pirate King. She's probably going to search the seas to find him.''

Furopp deliberated for a moment, suddenly finding himself intrigued, if only in an amused sense. _''She wouldn't be the first pirate to think that. But I want your opinion, do you think she has what it takes?''_

''I do. She's stronger than any pirate I've ever seen!''

''_And that is why I'm considering your life forfeit.''_

''What?''

''_You live in a world of paradise. In the real world, pirates make continents shake and cower before their might. Luffy was no exception. It would take a pirate with the strength to turn the world upside down to defeat him. I doubt that a rookie who got lucky can pose a threat. She is of no concern to me…''_

Gurod's ear twitched. He glanced over his shoulder and to his horror saw the family of gorillas advancing towards him from all directions. He had nowhere to run. As they closed in, the call from Furopp continued.

''_That being said if I happen to encounter a pirate by the name of Aleyn Laura on the Grand Line…I will deal with her.''_

''Don't go!''

**CLICK!**

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

_If you'd like, you can follow my original stories on Wattpad. My penname is Thomas-LF. Thank you for your time, if you do read them, I hope you enjoy them._


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